LIFE'S BEAUTIFUL 
WAY HEAVENWARD 



WALTER E. ISENHOUR 




r\ 



Glass _JAM_ 
Book , -i- '7 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward 



^ 



By Rev. Walter E. Isenhour. 



^ 



Pentecostal Publishing Company, 
Louisville, Ky. 



^^fn 



Copyright, 1919 

BY 

Walter E. Isenhour. 



aton^a^B^b 



JUL -5 1919 



©CI.A530096 



"t^ DEDICATION. 

\j To my dear Mother, whose tender love has gone 

with me through life and whose loving watch care 
has been over me, whose hand has ever been reached 
forth to help, whose good advice has helped to bring 
me thus far on life's journey, whose lovingkindness 
and tender mercies still are mine, and to whom I 
owe affection next to that of Jesus for all her good' 
ness ,this book is very heartily and tenderly dedi- 
cated by 

The Author. 



INTRODUCTION. 

For more than four years I have been writing 
for The Union Republican, published at Winston- 
Salem, N. C, in which I have a department called 
The Quiet Corner. It is read and known by thou- 
sands of people throughout North Carolina and oth- 
er states. From week to week as the Corner has ap- 
peared with its articles and sermons I have clipped 
them from the paper and kept them in reserve, or a 
part of them at least, with the hope that some day 
they mig'ht appear in book form. So the contents of 
this volume are made up of a number of the best and 
choicest of these selections, which are the author's 
own production, and which we hope will be read 
by thousands who perhaps have never read The 
Quiet Corner. Also, we trust that many of our 
Quiet Corner readers will purchase one of these 
books and read again each article and sermon, and 
keep them in your homes for your family, even for 
years to come. 

We hope this book will lead many to Christ, and 
in "Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward.'' Especially 
are we desirous that the young people may be great- 
ly influenced by it to live lives of godlines, upright- 
ness, righteousness and purity, and thus conserve 
their moral and spiritual forces. We see such a 
great need of this among the youths of today, and if 
we can only help them live for God, lead them out- 
ward and upward in the realm of life, causing them 



to see the beauty there is in a life spent in the 
right, influencing them to use their talents and op- 
portunities for God, we shall feel that the book has 
not been published in vain. 

Dear reader, we want you to help us put the 
book into the homes of the people. G«t one for your- 
self and tell your friends and neighbors about it and 
have them get a copy. You may be doing a great 
deed for some life and for God. The book might 
help to mold and form the character and life of the 
ver>^ person you speak to about it for heaven. 

With the sincere hope and desire that souls may 
be won. Christians built up in the "most holy faith " 
and God glorified, we send forth "Life's Beaut ^f 
Way Heavenward" on its mission in the world. 
And may the Spirit of God attend it. 
Yours in His service. 

Rev. Walter E. Isenhour. 
Gastonia, N. C. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

A Sketch of the Authors' Life 9 

1. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God 10 

2. Repentance 29 

3. What one sinner can do 35 

4. The worth of a Soul 45 

5. Come to Jesus 53 

6. The Water of Life 63 

7. Use Your Opportunities 72 

8. "Shine Just Where You Are." 79 

9. Soul- Winning 86 

10. Working for the Master 94 

11. The Blessedness of Weeping 101 

12. A Pure Heart 107 

13. A Beautiful Life 110 

14. "The Life That Counts." 114 

15. Christian Steadfastness ! .... 119 

16. "The Lord is my Shepherd." 123 

17. What Have You Given God? 128 

18. Love Divine 137 

19. "Leaning on the Everlasting Arm.s." 143 

20. Friendship 149 

21. The Importance of Prayer 158 

22. Hungering and Thirsting after Righteous- 
ness 163 



23. The Cross of Christ 172 

24. He Will Lead You Through 181 

25. Strewing Flowers Along Life's Pathway . . 185 

26. The Hand of Helpfulness 191 

27. ''Keeping One's Life in Tune." 197 

28. Advice to Young Men 203 

29. Advice to Girls 211 

30. The Grace of Jesus Christ 219 

31. Let Us Forget 225 

32. 'Tick Yourself Up." 229 

33. The Unfruitful Works of Darkness 236 

34. ''Close to Thee." 246 

35. "A Conscience Void of Oifense." 253 

36. Faith 262 

37. Don't Worry 268 

38. "Scatter Sunbeams." 275 

39. "Nearer, My God, To Thee." 282 



A SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 

I was born in Watauga county, western North 
Carolina, Feb. 18, 1889. My birthplace was the old 
home of my grandfather, Abner Smith, who was ac- 
cidentally shot in the Civil War and died at Golds- 
boro, N. C, shortly after he was wounded. He died 
long before I was born, my mother then being only a 
small child. 

The building in which I was bom was an old- 
fashioned log house, which was made of hewn logs 
and weather-boarded, as well as I remember, with a 
porch, two or three rooms downstairs, with an up- 
stairs room or two, which miade it in those days 
when it was built, one of the most up-to-date build- 
ings in the whole country. There were other goo • 
out-buildings, which made it then a most excellent 
home. 

Shortly after my birth my father moved from 
there to a new home which he had made near the 
foot of what is known as Rich Mountain, where T 
grew up and remained until I was about 23 years 
old, or more. Here it was that I was reared among 
the beautiful hills and mountains, forests and val- 
leys, where the birds sang sweetly and the beautiful, 
crystal streams murmured by; where the flowers 
bloomed and the meadows were green; where the 

9 



10 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

fields of Wheat and corn waved in the summer 
breeze, and all nature was grand to behold. In 
early life, when but a mere boy, I became a great 
lover of nature and often roamed over the hills, 
through the valleys, in the forest, beside the crystal 
streams of water, gathering honeysuckles, flowers, 
etc., and watched the birds as they flitted from 
tree to tree, and listened to their warbling songs 
which I loved so well. Sometimes I would scale the 
highest mountain peaks, which are several thousand 
feet above sea level, and take a view of the country 
for miles around. I could see so far that the distant 
hills and mountain ranges seemed covered with a 
blue smoke, yet it made it beautiful to gaze upon. 
It is said by the poet or someone that ''distance lends 
enehantments to the scene." 

Perhaps because I have ascended these mountains 
and enjoyed it so well, is one reason why I love the 
song, "Higher Ground." Then it was the mountains 
of nature that I loved, and now it is the spiritual 
mountains that my heart delists in. The poet was 
speaking of spiritual mountains when he said : 
**I v/ant to scale the utmost height. 
And catch a gleam of glory bright. 
But still I'll pray till heaven Fve found, 
*Lord, lead me on to higher ground.' *' 
This is the desire of my life today. 

It used to be my one aspiration to make a poet, 
and I would compose poems on the mountain scen- 
ery, the hills, the valleys, the woodland, and the 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 11 

birds and flowers, etc., part of which have been pub- 
lished in different papers, with some that still re- 
main unpublished, but I have no desire to see them 
in print, as I feel that they are not of sufficient merit 
to have a place in the literary world. The first poem 
I ever composed was entitled "The Dear Old Hills 
of Watauga," and appeared in a magazine entitled 
the ''Twentieth Century Review," which has since 
then suspended publication. It pleased me better to 
see that poem in print than if someone had given 
me $100 in money, as much as I needed it. It was 
a boyish whim that was peculiar to me to see my 
productions published. I suppose it has been that 
way with lots of writers. But after one gets older 
his desire is rather to produce something of merit 
before it appears before the public, rather than have 
his name to a poor production just to be heard of 
through the papers as an author. (I may be step- 
ping on someone's toes just now, but you'll under- 
stand better some day when you are more experi- 
enced in writing, why I say this. Eh!) 

There were five of us children in family, four 
sisters and myself. I am the oldest, and having no 
brother to help me, it naturally fell to my lot to have 
a hard time, as my parents were and are poor. I 
used to think I would like to have a brother to help 
me. But my sisters were not lazy and they joined 
in and helped to do the part of a brother to a very 
great extent. We had only a small farm, and 
my father was a very hard working man, and did 



12 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

not fail to teach it to us by putting the thing to the 
test. I used to work so very hard and get so tired 
that I could not rest at night. I had to do a man's 
work when I was only a boy, and not being strong 
enough to stand it, as I was rather of a delicate na- 
ture anyhow, perhaps it accounts to some extent for 
my physical weakness today. But, thank God! and 
praise His holy name ! He has seen best for some rea- 
son to let me live thus far, despite all the hardships 
and sickness of my life, and today I must give Him 
all the glory and feel to ''Crown Him Lord Of All." 
I can say with the Psalmist : "Bless the Lord, my 
soul: and all that is within me bless His holy 
name !'* 

A few times in life I came near dying. At about 
fifteen years of age, or perhaps a little over, I began 
to lose my health more than ever, which has never 
been fully recovered. At one time I think I almost 
had tuberculosis, but began to treat myself against 
the disease and overcame it entirely, and today I 
have strong lungs, but a very weak heart and a bad 
stomach trouble. Yet I am trusting Jesus to help 
me to get stronger if it be His holy will. 

I remember T was once so sick that my mother 
(God bless her, for she is dear to me) sat by my 
bedside all night and rubbed my hands and held 
them in hers, and fanned me and administered to my 
needs. And through God's help and mother's kind 
and faithful and untiring efforts, I soon recovered. 
Different times has she anxiously cared for me, day 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 13 

and night, when it seemed that life was hanging in 
the balance. Reader, if you have a good mother, 
don't ever, ever mistreat her. My mother still lives, 
tliank God, and should we live a thousand years yet 
on earth. Til never forsake her nor mistreat her. 
Also father is living and sisters are living, and our 
hearts are all filled with love for each other. Well, 
glory, and amen forever! 

Now I must tell you something of my school 
days. When I first started to school I was quite 
sn aJl, and had no one to go with me, and I felt very 
lonely and would go from home crying. I did not 
want to go, but my father and mother would have 
me go, and today I'm glad they did. It seemed to 
me then that they were too cruel, but they were only 
looking at my future life when I would need an edu- 
cation to help me through the world, as they were not 
educated themselves and realized the need. 

We lived only a short distance from the school- 
house where I spent most of my school days, and 
w^here I got most of my education. Soon I became 
attached to the students and liked school very much, 
and did not want to stay at home for anything. In 
school I always had a host of friends, which has 
been an important characteristic of my life. I was 
obedient to my teacher's rules and hardly ever had 
any trouble. One '"thrashing" w^as all that I ever 
had during all my school life. I was a close student 
and usually had my lessons well, but sometimes I 
failed, as I was rather slow to learn. When school 



14 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

would close it made me feel sad to part with my 
playmates and classmates. But I returned to the 
farm and soon after settling down to work would 
become satisfied with the change. 

My opportunity in life for getting a thorough ed- 
ucation has been rather poor. I had to work hard, 
and today I only have what you might call a comnion 
school education, having never attended but two or 
three terms of school outside the free school. Fm 
sorry that I do not have a better education, and 
sometimes feel that I have accomplished suc?i a little 
in life, but I've tried hard to rise; and when again 
1 view the hardships and disadvantages and poverty 
and discouragements, with all the sickness, tMrough 
v^'hich I have come, I think perhaps I haven't any- 
thing to complain of, but much to rejoice ov^r and 
be thankful for. Praise God! 

So then as you read the Quiet Corner from week 
to week, with its articles and sermons, you are not 
reading after a great theologian or college professor, 
but a common country boy who loves you and Jesus 
Christ our Savior, and desires to do ym good. It 
has been my desire even from childhood to live and 
do something that I may be a blessing to my coun- 
try. I have studied hard, not only in school, but at 
home and abroad, and read many good books, and 
tried to cling close to Jesus and the cross of duty 
that I might be able to benefit the lives of others. 
If I fail I hope it will not be because I have not hon- 
estly tried. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 15 

Now I have told you something of my boyhood 
days and school life, but the best is yet to tell. One 
beautiful Sabbath morning in the Methodist ChurCh 
at Silverstone, near my home, I was happily con- 
verted to Jesus Christ my Savior. Sometime before 
my conversion, w^hile in school at Mast Seminary, 
I read a book entitled ''Russel Morton," which sent 
deep conviction to my heart. I saw myself a great 
sinner and began to pray and cry and groan for re- 
lief. The burden I carried was heavy, and I would 
get alone and pray and agonize to be saved. No one 
knew anything of the burden I carried, until finally 
one day I told my mother about it. But on the Sab- 
bath day of which I have just mentioned I knelt at 
the altar and repented and prayed through to vic- 
tory. I felt the heavy load of sin was removed from 
my life, and oh ! how happy I was to realize that 
1 was *'a new creature in Christ," ^Hbom again," 
"saved through Jesus' blood." That has been several 
years ago when in my eighteenth year and I still 
love Jesus my Redeemer, and praise Him for saving 
me. And today I can say in the language of the 
sweet song: 

*'0h, happy day that fixed my choice 
On Thee, my Savior and my God ; 
Well may this glowing heart rejoice. 
And tell its raptures all abroad !" 
After my conversion I did not join any church 
for a year or two, and becamje alarmed to find myself 
drifting back into sin. Then I renewed- my rela- 



16 TAfe's Beavtiful Way Heavenward. 

tionship with God and united with Pleasant Grove 
Missionary Baptist Church where I remained a 
member until 1912, when I joined the M. E. Church, 
where I still hold my membership. But I am not 
prejudiced toward other denominations, having 
helped in their revivals different times. I have many 
friends in the Baptist Church, the M. E. Church, 
South, the Quaker Church, the Holiness Church, etc., 
and preachers of the different denominations who 
have become acquainted with me love me. Thank 
God! 

In November, 1912, 1 joined the Blue Ridge — At- 
lantic Conference, and was sent to the Boone circuit 
in Watauga county. This was my first circuit to 
travel. I had six churches in charge that year, some 
of which were a, long distance apart. I traveled the 
circuit afoot all the year and made fifteen hundred 
miles or more over the rugged mountains and hills, 
and served the people faithfully. We had a goodly 
number of conversions and quite a number of addi- 
tions to the churches, and closed the year in victory 
for the Master. 

At our annual conference at Walkertown, in No- 
vember of 1913, I was assigned to the Ararat charge 
in Suriy county, which I served two years, and until 
my health gave way so I had to give up the work. 
That was in 1915, and I have not yet recovered suffi- 
ciently to take up the work. It was hard to stop 
when it looked so much like I should be at my best 
for the Master, and when I was in the bloom of man- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 17 

hood. However, Fm making the best of it I can, and 
hope and trust and pray that the way may open up 
for me to enter the field of service again. But Tm 
not idle. I'm trying to be engaged so that my liie 
will count for Jesus. Through the Quiet Comer I'm 
trying to lead souls to Jesus and help to hold up 
•Christians. I also sell books, and out of the little 
money I can earn I give for the support of the minis- 
try and the great cause of missions. Oh, if only I 
had millions to give that the gospel of Jesus Christ 
might be spread more and more over the dark heath- 
en lands where millions are living and dying in the 
darkness of heathenism, not even knowing there is a 
real God who created all things, and who sent Jesus, 
His "only begotten Son," to die for all the world! 
Oh reader ! how can you spend your money, or God's 
money, so lavishly and many times foolishly and not 
do your part toward getting the world saved? Will 
your money be worth anything to you when you have 
to stand in the presence of God to receive your just 
reward for all you have done here on earth? No, it 
will be like the rich man's, it won't profit you any- 
thing, won't even buy you a drop of water to cool 
your tongue. 

I was thinking the other day if I could only earn 
enough money to support one missionary in the for- 
eign field how glad I would be. I'd feel then I had 
a part in the salvation of precious souls in the heath- 
en world. 

Well, I must close. Reader, I hope you have en- 



18 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

joyed this little sketch of my life, and that perhaps 
in some way it will help you onward and upward, 
until we meet at the Golden Gate of glory. Remem- 
ber me in your prayers when it goes well with you at 
the throne of grace, and I shall continue praying for 
you. 

With all good wishes, and a heart full of love for 
you, I still remain, 

Yours in Jesus, 

Rev. Walter E. Isenhour. 

Gastonia, N. C. 

(Since writing the above I have entered the 
ministry again.) 



CHAPTER I. 

SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

''Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his right- 
eousness; and all these things shall be added unto 
you.'*— Matthew 6:33. 

Dear reader, there is a great lesson in this scrip- 
tural quotation, all the more so because it v/as given 
us by the greatest Teacher that ever taught a lesson, 
that ever trod the globe, that ever uttered a word, 
that ever preached a sermon, that ever laid an ex- 
ample, that ever gave a command or sounded forth 
an admionition. It is of Jesus our blessed Savior, 
and is such that all the world would do well and be 
eternally blest to listen to, to heed, to accept. No 
one could possibly make a mistake in learning so 
beautiful, so wonderful, so needful, so glorious a les- 
son and put it into practice. It is the first step we 
should take in life when we reach that place or period 
when we are accountable for ourselves to God. It is 
the best step anyone has ever taken, the best thing 
anyone has ever done, and the wisest and most hon- 
orable. We read in the grand, good old Book : "The 
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 

We want to go back in this sixth chapter of St. 
Matthew and read a few verses in order to get a 
clear understanding of what the Master is teaching 
us in the text. We will begin with the twenty-fifth 

19 



20 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

verse and read to the close of the chapter, in which 
the text is included. 

'"Therefore I (Jesus) say unto you, Take no 
thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye 
shall drink; nor yet for your body. What ye shall 
put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they 
sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; 
yet your heavenly P'ather feedeth them. Are ye not 
much better than they? Which of you by taking 
thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And 
why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lil- 
ies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neithei' 
do they spin : and yet I say unto you, That even Solo- 
mon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the 
field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the 
oven, shall he not much more clothe you, ye of lit- 
tle faith? Therefore take no thought saying, Wliat 
shall we eat ? or, What shall 'we drink ? or, Where- 
withal shall \T2 be clothed? For after all these 
things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly 
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his right- 
eousness; and all these things shall be added unto 
you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for 
the morrow shall take thought for the things of it- 
self. Sufi^icient unto the day is the evil thereof.*' 

Now, reader, we have made quite a lengthy quo- 
tation in order to set before you clearly the lesson 



Life's Beautiful Way Heaveriward, 21 

which we hope to impress upon your mind. We see 
that Christ is here holding up before us the impor- 
tant truth that first of all we should seek after the 
things of Grod, — salvation, redemption, righteous- 
ness and godliness, — before we seek after the things 
of this world. Or rather if we seek first the king- 
dom of God, and His righteousness, all these things 
shall be given or added unto us. Jesus knew the de- 
sires and inclinations of the people, that they were 
more anxious about food and raiment and the neces- 
sities of this life than they were spiritual things, or 
the necessities of the soul and the life that is to be. 
They were then and are still today doing the wrong 
thing by making the first thing secondary and tak- 
ing the secondary thing and making it first, by first 
preparing for this life and this world and maybe 
afterwards preparing for the next world or for eter- 
nity. It is not for us to worry over this life, what 
we shall eat, what we shall be clothed with, or how 
we shall make money and grow rich, or how we shall 
attain great and commendable positions to attract 
the attention of the world and to receive the praise 
of men. \^niile it is good to do things, or even strive 
to do things, that are worth while, that are honora- 
ble and glorious and that bless the world; yet how- 
ever, the first and best thing to do is to seek God. 
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- 
ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you." 
We should feel content to have our daily needs sup^ 
plied and never worry and fret ourselves over the 



22 Lifes Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

needs of the morrow or the distant future. Paul 
tells us: "Having food and raiment, be therewith 
content." 

Jesus teaches us a very beautiful lesson by illus- 
trating it with the fowls of the air. He says: ''Be- 
hold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither 
do they reap, nor gather into bams ; yet your heav- 
enly Father feedeth them.'' Then He asks the ques- 
tion: "Are ye not much better than they?" Jesus 
wants us to trust Him for our needs, and believs 
that He will supply them. If He feeds the fowls of 
the air that do not sow nor reap nor gather into 
barns, will He not much more care for us, for we 
are much better than they? If not even a sparrow 
falls to the ground without our Father's notice, of 
course He sees our every need, and if we are abid- 
ing under the shadow of His wings ; if we have first 
sought "the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
all these things shall be added unto us." He will 
supply our needs of both soul and body if we have 
consecrated our lives unto Him and trust Him fully. 
Ihe child of God doesn't need to be over-anxious for 
the future, for he can trust God, day by day, for his 
daily bread. He can say: "Father in heaven, give 
us this day our daily bread," and so He stupplieth his 
every need. He trusts God one day at a time for his 
daily needs and knows of a surety that God will pro- 
vide them. He doesn't take thought and worry over 
the morrow, or as the old adage says, he doesn't 
cross the bridge before he gets to it, but he lets the 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 23 

morrow "take thought for the things of itself." If 
he lires well the life of today, keeps clean his mind 
and pure his heart; if he fights successfully the 
battle of today and triumphs over every foe and ev- 
ery temptation he knows he shall do well. The Mas- 
ter tells him: '^Sufficient unto the day is the evil 
thereof." 

Talk about one thing being more needful than 
another, it is to first obtain salvation, to *'seek first 
the kingdom of Gk)d, and his righteousness." We 
are then preparing to live, — live forever, — and not 
until then. The man who prepares only for this 
world and this life is- not preparing to live; he is 
preparing to die. Only those who prepare, get 
ready, to meet God in peace are prepared to live. God 
receives such into His everlasting kingdom above 
and into eternal life. The Rich Man that we read 
of in the Bible prepared to live here. He had so 
much to live on, so much of this world's possessions 
and goods and treasures that he resolved to pull 
dov^n his bams and build greater ones, as his old 
bams would not hold them. Then he said: *'And I 
will say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid 
up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and 
be merry." But about this time God stepped in and 
said to him : 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be 
required of thee : then whose shall those things be, 
which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up 
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 

But we read of a very poor man who was a beg- 



24 Life's Beantifvl Way Heavenward. 

gar and who was "full of sores," and laid at a certain 
rich man's gate, ^'desiring to be fed with the crumbs 
which fell from the rich man's table." This v/as 
that godly man, Lazarus, who had sought the king- 
dom of God, who had rich grace and Divine love in 
his heart, who was abounding richly in heavenly 
things, but who was dying for the lack of care and at- 
tention, and who needed bread to keep him alive. 
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died" — (poor 
man, it touches my heart to think of it) — "and was 
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the 
rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he 
lifted up his eyes, being in torment and seeth Abra- 
ham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he 
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 
and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his 
finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tor- 
mented in this flame. But Abraham said. Son, re- 
member that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good 
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now 
he is comforted, and thou art tormented." 

The rich man prepared for this world; Lazarus 
prepared for heaven. The rich man died and went 
to an av^ul Hell; Lazarus died and went to that 
sweet home above where there is no more pov- 
erty, no more want, no more woe, no more death. 
Lazarus did his suffering here, had his hard time in 
this life, and was a Christian, and when he died Je- 
sus received him into His holy and lovely presence. 
The rich man had his good time here, faring sump- 



Life's BeaiiUful Way Heavenward. 25 

tuously every day, living in luxury and ease ; but he 
was not a Christian, did not seek the ''kingdom of 
God, and his righteousness," and hence when this 
life was ended he went to Hell to torture forever. 
Oh, beloved, don't make the mistake of the rich man ! 
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous^ 
ness." I had rather be a Lazarus and go to heaven 
than a rich man and go to hell. 

Early in life, seek Jesus. While you are young, 
seek Jesus. While you have the greater part of life 
before you, seek Jesus. While you are blooming into 
youthfulness, early manhood and womanhood, seek 
Jesus. While you have a future of usefulness before 
you, seek Jesus. While you are strong and health- 
ful and capable of accomplishing things for the bet- 
terment of the world and the uplift of those around 
you, seek Jesus. Before your life is darkened and 
besmutted by sin, and wrecked and ruined by immor- 
ality and revelry and dissipation; before a stain 
comes upon your name and character, and your in- 
fluence is crippled and maybe killed as to doing good 
toward your fello^vman, seek Jesus. Before you lead 
someone astray into the forbidden and destructive 
'ways of evil, seek Jesus. Before you become entan- 
gled with the things and evils of this world, seek Je- 
sus. Before your power and God-given blessings 
and precious talents are squandered and destroyed, 
and before you have to regret a sad, misspent life, 
weeping over the ashes of destroyed beauty and use- 
fulness, seek Jesus. Before you lose the gem and 



26 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

pearl of your innocence and purity, seek Jesus. Be- 
fore you become carnally minded and have your 
mind filled with evil, corruptible, poisonous, life- 
wrecking, soul-destroying thoughts, seek Jesus. Be- 
fore the beautiful and golden and priceless oppor- 
tunities of life are past and gone forever, and the 
sunshine of life is sinking behind a horizon of neg- 
lectfulness, seek Jesus. Before you cause some soul 
to be lost forever in hell, seek Jesus. Before you 
form evil and wicked habits that blast the lives of so 
many people today, seek Jesus. While you may form 
such habits that will be a benediction to you and 
those around you, that will enable you to grow into 
strength and force of character and do' many good 
and valuable and beautiful things as you pass 
through life, seek Jesus. Before it is too late; be- 
fore all is lost and hope has fled away forever, and 
you have made the fatal plunge into outer darkness 
where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth," 
seek Jesus. While you have the privilege of seeking 
God and His righteousness and living a beautiful 
and sublime life so that you can some bright day 
pass through the Golden Gate into the heavenly city 
to be with Jesus, and while you have the chance to 
help somebody else get there, too, seek Jesus, — seek 
JESUS. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness." 

To seek first the kingdom of God is ours to do. 
A young life first moulded and shaped and formed 
like that of Jesus Christ is the most lovely, the most 



Life's Bemififul Wmj Heavemvai^d. 27 

to be desired, the most beneficial, most successful 
life pos^sible. To act and to live in accordance to the 
Divine commiand is building to our moral and spirit- 
ual man, it builds the natural and phj^sical man. It 
contributes to both the inner and outward man, mak- 
ing him strong and capable of doing things in life 
worth while, and becoming master of himself and 
everj^ evil situation into which he may chance to be 
placed. 

To fail to obey God means that we are paving the 
way to wrecked and ruined manhood, to defeat, to 
sorrow and heartache, and to hell itself. To fail to 
obey God means that we are sapping our own pleas- 
ure and happiness, destroying our uw^n peace, miss- 
ing the mark of our own high calling, and closing the 
gates of heaven against ourselves. Not only this, 
but to fail to obey God means that we are leading 
others in the same way of destruction, thus blight- 
ing and cursing their lives. Oh, how awful! How 
wrong to be disobedient to the right and live in re- 
bellion to our Master! How wrong to revel in the 
corruptness of sin rather than delight in goodness 
and hunger and thirst after righteousness ! Failing 
to do God's will, and failing to live the life that 
measures up to our opportunities, in part at least; 
and failing to please Him is an evil, the greatness of 
which God alone knows and fully understands. It is 
too great for human comprehension, and ought to be 
too great for us to indulge in. 

So, dear reader, after all has been said that can 



28 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 

be, it is for us to obey God and do His will; for we 
might add page after page and unless we accept 
Christ as our Savior and "seek the kingdom of God, 
and his righteousness," it will all be a failure. Then 
will you accept Him? "Let us hear the conclusion 
of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his com- 
mandments : for this is the whole duty of man. For 
God shall bring every work into judgment, with ev- 
ery secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it 
be evil." Eccl. 12:13-14. "Seek ye first the kingdom 
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things 
shall be added unto you," so says the text. 

Lord Jesus, help us to obey Thee, to do Thy will, 
to live the Christ life, that we may share Thy 
glory! Help us, we pray Thee, and Thine shall be 
the glory forever. Amen. 



CHAPTER II. 

REPENTANCE. 

We speak so much of repentance that we some- 
times, doubtless, come to think of it very lightly, or 
as being of little importance. Some, no doubt, may 
think of it as a kind of appendage — something at- 
tached to life that is really unnecessary. But, how- 
ever this may be, repentance is not something mere^ 
ly attached to life just to have it there, nor is it 
placed upon us only as a requirement which is of no 
real benefit. Repentance is an absolute necessity, as 
indispensable to spiritual life as food is to natural 
life. It is of the most vital importance, — of eter- 
nal importance. Why? Because it is the way of 
life; the way from death which sin brought about, 
into the way of life which Christ establishea. 

Repentance is a requirement of God, not man. It 
is the only way men are saved from sin. Christ 
came into the world preaching repentance, saying, 
"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
And again He says in words that are as lasting as 
the hills of eternity, ''Except ye repent, ye 
shall all likewise perish." This means that all class- 
es of mankind everywhere must repent, even from 
the highest down to the very lowest. None are ex- 
empt who know good from evil. The moral man 
and the self-righteous must repent, for their morali- 

29 



30 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenvmrd, 

ty and self-righteousness are only as '''filthy rags" in 
the sight of God. Men do not get to heaven on mere 
morality and self-righteousness but through repent- 
ance and the second birth, and faith in the Lord Je 
sus Christ. 

*'Ye must be born again.'' We were born into a 
natural life, this life, and we must be bom into c. 
spiritual life. Paul says: "'There is a natural life, 
and there is a spiritual life." And this requirement 
of Jesus, "Ye must be born again," is coupled with 
repentance. For through repentance we are born 
into the kingdom, of God. If we cut out this essen- 
tial all is a failure. Rites and ceremonies won't 
take its place. They can't. And men today are do- 
ing this very thing. They are clinging to the non- 
essentials and rejecting the essentials. Just as 
well try to live with your heart out as to try to get to 
heaven without repentance and the second birth. 
One is as reasonable as the other. Why did Jesus 
say, "'Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," 
and "Ye must be born again," if it was not neces- 
sary? Do you think His words are of no meaning? 
Do you think He was speaking just to be speaking? 
No. Only through Jesus Christ and His require- 
ments can we reach heaven. "He that climbeth up 
some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." 

All men must repent. The drunkard and the 
profane man must repent. The liar, and the man 
who cheats and defrauds his neighbor must repent. 
The dishonest man must repent. The man who 



Life's Beautiful Waij Heavemvard. 31 

abuses his family must repent. The man who com- 
mits adultery must repent. The man who causes 
strife and discord among his neighbors must repent. 
The man who desecrates the Sabbath day must re- 
pent. The man who oppresses the poor must repent. 
In short, men must repent of any and all sins, little 
and great, that they have ever committed, whether 
in thought, word or deed, or they shall "all like wis., 
perish." 

But what is repentance? Is it just turning about 
in life, and quitting the evil and doing the good? Is 
this all there is to it? No; it is all this and much 
more. Just to merely quit your sins and go to doing 
the right is not repentance, and yet people will tell 
you that is all there is to it. That is not even the 
beginning. It is only reformation; there's no re- 
pentance about it. There is a vast difference be- 
tween repentance and reformation. Repentance is 
being sorry for your past sins, getting forgiveness 
of them, and then doing right in the future. Re- 
formation is quitting your sins and doing the right, 
but it is not getting forgiveness of the past. The 
biggest devil in the world can reform, but yet he is 
a devil because he has not repented of his past life 
and sins. His heart is still smutty with the sins of 
the past of his life, even though he may be doin^ 
better now. He has not been to the Fountain of 
Life for cleansing. The blood of Jesus Christ, which 
"cleanseth us from all sins," has not been applied. 
He has "not seen him, neither knovm him," hence is 



32 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

not a saved and redeemed man, not a Christian. 
Repentance precedes reformation. First repent, 
then reform. The two taken together make a man 
Christlike and give to him the mind which is in 
Christ. 

Have I yet made clear to you what repentance is? 
It is godly sorrow for sin. Listen to what Paul says 
about it: "Godly sorrow worketh repentance to sal- 
vation not to be repented of." Deep sorrow of the 
heart because of sin, and a willingnessi to forsake sin 
and asking God for mercy and pardon is repentance. 
When David had sinnned he said in sorrowful and 
penitent words, *'Have mercy upon me, God .... 
Wash me throughly (not thoroughly) from mine 
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Create 
in me a clean heart, God; and renew a right spirit 
within me." 

I believe repentance is getting down upon our 
knees, and becoming very humble in the sight of 
God, and beseeching Him from the very depth of the 
soul in all sincerity for mercy, pardon and forgive- 
ness of sin. Then I believe He in some way says to 
the sin-sick soul : "Thy sins are forgiven thee; go and 
sin no more." Then are we ''bom again," and can 
go out into the world, '*a burning and a shining 
light" for God, with clean hands and a pure heart. 
Too many people have nothing but a "confess 
Christ" religion, and that is all there is to it. They 
confess Him, but they don't possess Him. That is 
the reason we see so many weaklings who call them- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 33 

selves Christians. They don't know anything about 
Christ only what they have heard. They are strang- 
ers to Him. Many may have the "form of godli- 
ness/' but not the "power thereof." Anybody can 
confess Christ, whether they possess Him or not. 
But to both possess Him (possess comes first) and 
then confess Him makes us a Christian. 

If the church members and so-called Christians 
all had a heart full of the real love and grace of Je- 
sus, with a baptism of the Holy Ghost, there would 
not be half so much luke-warmness and backsliding 
among us. The Holy Ghost keeps us. We don't 
have to keep ourselves; we only have to watch and 
pray. But so many so-called backsliders are not 
backsliders. They stand just where they have al- 
ways stood — in sin. They have never repented nor 
been "born again," have no knowledge of God and 
His saving power, hence are not backsliders. They 
have never been anywhere to slide back to. A man 
must first climb up before he can fall. Therefore we 
appeal to all mankind to repent, get a full supply of 
salvation, with holiness, and we will be on the up- 
ward march from earth to heaven. 

Repentance is honorable and glorious. It is the 
way of the earth that is traveling heavenward, after 
we have become accountable for ourselves to God. 
There is nothing in repentance to be ashamed of. 
It is of God. He fixed it for our way of escape from 
the curse of a broken law and the penalty that was 
to follow. It is the way all good, great, noble, and 



34 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

true men and women are going. It is the gateway 
through which even the angels of heaven passed. It 
is the entrance that leads us into the marvelous light 
and liberty of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the way 
that leads from darkness into the sunlight, from the 
smaller life into the larger, better and more wonder- 
ful. It is the way we come to be followers of Christ 
and become Christlike. It is the way we are crowned 
"with honor and glory, a little lower than the 
angels,'* and by which we expect one day to stand 
with them, forever glorified on the shores of "sweet 
deliverance." It is the way to please our heavenly 
Father and have Him as our Shield and Guide, and 
make Him our "Friend that sticketh closer than a 
brother." It is then we can say, — 

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, 
All our sins and griefs to bear." 
Young man, young girl, one and all, repent. 
Enter into the higher and nobler life. Enter into 
the only life ; for the way of sin is death, not life. Do 
the will of our Master, repent. It's not His will 
that you perish. It's not His will that any perish, 
"but that all come to repentance." Life and heaven 
will then be yours, and you can be like Jesus, for 
some day we shall see Him as He is and be glorified 
with Him. My last word is repent, and "Prepare 
to meet thy God." 



CHAPTER III. 

WHAT ONE SINNER CAN DO. 

"One sinner destroyeth much good." — Eccl. 9:18. 

Perhaps there are few texts in the Bible that as- 
sert a fact that are more easily seen and realized 
than this, — ^"One sinner destroyeth much good." We 
do not have to wait until we find ourselves in anoth- 
er world to see the truth of this Scripture, while we 
may understand it more fully in the world to come. 
But right here in this world, in our midst, before 
our eyes, as plain as daylight, we see the harm the 
sinner does by the ''much good" he destroys. 

The man that deals out strong drink to his fel- 
lowman destroys much good, more than anyone can 
tell, for God alone knows how far-reaching his in- 
fluence goes. He curses and wrecks and ruins one 
youth, or half a dozen, or dozens, and maybe hun- 
dreds, and they ruin others, and these "others'* ruin 
still others; and so on and on the awful work goes 
and may not stop until the world itself is no more. 
The evil this liquor dealer does lives after him. Long 
after he dies and perhaps is in hell (he's there if he 
hasn't honestly repented) his work goes on, that is 
his influence still lives in the lives of others. He 
doesn't know how many souls he has sent to the pit, 
nor how many he will still send by his sinful and 
wicked career. Perhaps hundreds of years after he 

35 



86 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

is in eternity someone will be a drunkard because of 
the good this man destroyed while in the world by 
dealing in liquor. God says: "Woe unto him that 
giveth his neighbor drink, that putteth the bottle to 
him and maketh him drunken also." Hab. 2:15. 

When God says "Woe" a man had better stop, for 
it means danger ahead. And therefore the liquor 
dealer and the drunkard had better come to a halt, 
turn about, repent, get right with Gk)d, or hell will 
open her mouth and swallow them up. "No drunk- 
ard shall enter the kingdom of heaven." The man 
addicted to this evil habit destroys his own man- 
hood, talent, morality, ability, makes a wreck of his 
own life, and his evil influence wrecks the lives of 
others, thus enlarging hell, and destroying "much 
good." Friend, reader, whoever you are, do you 
realize how much injury you are doing the world by 
your sinful life along this line? I tell you, I'd stop 
for heaven's sake and see how much good I could do 
instead of harm. 

The man that takes God's name in vain destroys 
much good; for God tells us: "Thou shalt not take 
the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord 
will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in 
vain." Ex. 20:7. This is an awful sin, so great it 
sends a man's soul to destruction, and many are 
guilty of it in the sight of Almighty God. This is one 
of the most common sins of the day, one of the most 
uncalled-for, and corrupts humanity everywhere. 
One man who curses and swears will cause some- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 37 

one else to take up the same habit, and he will influ- 
ence someone else, and so it goes on from one to an- 
other destroying good along the way. When you use 
the name of God in vain, curse, swear, use profane 
language, there may be some little boy, some noble 
youth close by, whose life you are then destroying, 
as he, too, learns of you this evil and thus his very 
life and soul are destroyed. Oh, just think of the sin 
you are committing and the good you are and may 
be destroying in so living and doing! Think of the 
trouble, heartache, sorrow, misery, you are bringing 
upon the world ! Think of the many mothers whose 
hearts you are breaking, the many tears you are 
bringing to their eyes, the many hairs you are caus- 
ing to turn gray, the graves you are helping to fill 
and the many precious, immortal souls. Whom the 
blessed Savior died for, you are destroying! Think 
how you are serving Jesus, how you are treading the 
blood under foot, and counting it an unholy thing! 
God help you to consider this matter and turn to Je- 
wsus now, while you have the opportunity! 

The man who lies destroys much good. He helps 
to make other liars. And one of the most black- 
hearted sinners of the world is a liar. All liars shall 
have their part in the lake that burns with fire and 
brimstone. No liar can enter the kingdom of God. 
We are told : "Lie not one to another." Ananias and 
Sapphira were struck dead for lying. Lying is an 
awful sin. No man will ever amount to much who 
is a liar. He can't as long as he is a liar, for thia 



38 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

one sin stands between him and God, Christ and sal- 
vation, Life eternal and heaven. Peter once lied, 
denying that he had been a follov^er of the Master. 
But When the cock crew he remembered what Jesus 
had said), and then he went out and "wept bitterly," 
repented in heart agony, and afterwards became a 
true follower of Jesus. Peter was one of the most 
powerful preachers the world ever knew. Under a 
single sermon that Peter preached on the day of Pen- 
tecost, about three thousand souls were saved. Won- 
derful ! But mind you, Peter was now a man of the 
truth. He had repented, and now he preached the 
truth and it brought forth an abundant harvest. So 
the liar must speak the truth and live the truth be- 
fore He will ever see heaven. 

The dishonest man destroys much good. Dishon- 
esty is hellishness. The devil, through dishonesty, 
deceit and a lie, caused Eve to take and eat the for- 
bidden fruit, and then brought all this mis^ry and 
death to the world. Why, then, be like the devil? 
Did you not know that "honesty is the best policy?" 
Did you not know that a man Whp is dishonest with 
himself, with God, with his fellowman, is a terrible 
wretch, and of course destroys "much good," as the 
text says ? "Provide things honest in the sight of all 
men." Rom. 12 :7. "Let us walk honestly, as in the 
day ; not in rioting and drunkennes, not in chamber- 
ing and wantonness, not in strife and envying." 
Rom. 13:13. 

The card-player and gambler destroy much 



Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 39 

good. This is one of the worst evils of the day. Just 
as sure as a boy begins to play cards he begins to de- 
grade. And in a little while he ends in the prison 
cell or perhaps the electric chair. God pity the man 
who says there is no harm in card-playing. If there 
isn't, why do so many of the card-players' "go to the 
bad?" Don't tell me there is no harm in it. The 
devil told Eve there was no harm in partaking of the 
forbidden fruit, but we see what it did for humanity. 
So, my friend, you will see what it ends at some 
day. Many people have been murderers because 
they began card-playing. Now they have it going 
under a new name, "Rook." Just call it "Crook," 
for it is as crooked as old Split Foot wants it to be. 
You know when one thing gets its "rep" down too 
much he changes its name. So beware of the devil's 
new names. Shun them, or they will send your soul 
to hell as sure as the sun shines. 

Stealing destroys much good. "Thou shalt not 
steal." And there are more rogues than most of us 
are aware of, too. But it is not the man who steals 
your property that is the rogue every time. No, not 
by any means. The man or person who would rob 
you of your good name is the meanest rogue on 
earth. I had rather a man would steal all I have 
than steal my name and character. For "a good 
name is rather to be chosen than great riches." 

The man who is an infidel destroys much good, or 
the man who argues it. Really when the test comes 
there are few infidels, yet a man can talk infidelity 



40 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

and lie leads men astray, for so many love to do 
evil anyhow, and if they can rather quiet their con- 
science by believing there is no God, and that the 
Bible is false, and that there is no hell to shun and 
no heaven to attain, they are open to all kinds of 
meanness, crime, hellishness. Bob Ingersoll de- 
stroyed much good, and is destroying much good, as 
his influence lives on today. If every man is to be 
rewarded according to his works, and Christ says 
they are, won't such men find an awful place of pun- 
ishment? They won't get their full reward until the 
world ends and the Judgment Day is past, I believe. 
Tom Payne destroyed much good, and oh, what a 
horrible death he died ! It is said that it seemed like 
the room in which he died was full of demons. Oh, 
friend, don't follow in the way of such men ! Don't 
read their literature. There is too much that is' good 
and pure and wholesome to read, to consiume your 
time with than such reading. It will darken and 
blacken your life, causing you to destroy much good, 
and at last land you in the "bottomless pit." 

Jesise James, Frank James, and the Younger 
brothers destroyed much good, and today people are 
reading their lives no doubt and trying to do as they 
did. Yes, there are robbers, many of them I do not 
doubt, because of the influence of those wicked men. 
They destroyed "much good." 

Desecrating the Sabbath day destroys much good. 
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Oh, 
how people do profane this sacred day! W» »e« 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 41 

them visiting, going to birthday dinners, out pleas- 
ure riding in their automobiles, on their bicycles, go- 
ing here and there, talking all kinds of worldlines, 
doing all kinds of evils, working, playing, rather 
than going to the Church of God to v^orship and 
serve Him and keep this sacred day holy. God pity 
the world! What is going to be the final end of it 
all? 

The man or boy who is a pistol-carrier destroys 
much good, because there is sin, evil, corruption, in 
his heart, or he would not be found with a deadly 
weapon on his person in this civilized land. He gets 
into trouble, fires a shot, kills a man, sends a soul to 
hell and soon finds himself a life-long prisoner, or 
takes a seat in the electric chair. No man, or young 
man, is what he ought to be who thus violates the 
law of our country in this respect or any other, per- 
haps. No boy can be good and true and honest who 
is a pistol-carrier. Beware of the fellow. You can't 
trust him. He will lead your boys astray and get 
them into trouble. Sin is in his heart. 

The adulterous person destroys much good. And 
there are many hearts that are black with this sin. 
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." This sin is as 
smutty as hell itself. Oh, how much good is being 
destroyed in this respect — ^how many lives are being 
blighted, how many intellects and talents are being 
squandered! Jesus said: ''Whosoever looketh on a 
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery 
with her already in his heart.'* ' Matt. 5:28. No 



42 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

man or adulterous person can enter the kingdom of 
God until he has the blood of Jesus applied to his 
soul, until he deeply repents of his sins. 

The man who is a lover of money destroys much 
good ; for he will, many times, do lots of sinful things 
to make money. Even if he makes his money by 
honest labor and loves the money he is not right be- 
fore God. Money is his god. The Bible tells us: 
'The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Tim. 
6:10. Oh, just think of the many crimes committed 
for money, on the account of m'oney! When used 
right money is a great blessing, but when loved and 
used wrong it is a great curse. 

The man who oppresses the poor destroys much 
good. The man who robs his neighbor, or cheats 
the widow out of her living, destroys good and 
builds up evil. 

The man whose mind is filled with evil thoughts, 
destroys much good. For "as a man thinketh in his 
heart so is he." The evil, carnal, worldly mind \% 
the devirs patch where he raises all kinds of evils. 
We must have the mind of Christ in order to con- 
serve the things that God gives us, and not waste 
them in evil. 

The mian who uses his tongue too much, speaks 
evil, gives loose reign to it, undoubtedly does a very 
harmful work. He corrupts not only his own life, 
but also corrupts the lives of others. "Speak evil 
of no man," is the Divine injunction. 

The tattler, talebearer, who spreads evil reports, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 43 

destroys much good. The man who destroys peace 
and causes strife and discord and wrangling and 
quarreling and fighting destroys much good. 

The man who fails to train his children right de- 
stroys much good, as they go out and curse and cor- 
rupt the world. And God tells us : "Bring up your 
children in the nurture and admionition of the Lord.*' 
The man who fails to do so is a destroyer of good, 
more than he is aware of. 

The proud, haughty, overbearing person de- 
stroys good. "God resisteth the proud." "Blessed 
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the un- 
godly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit- 
teth in the seat of the scornful." But cursed is the 
man that does. "Pride goeth before destruction, 
and an haughty spirit before a fall." No proud per- 
son is honorable and noble, as he is a destroyer of 
God. "He that exalteth himself shall be abased/' 
brought low. 

These are only a few of the ways and evils in 
which sinners destroy good. Oh, sinner, just think 
how you are corrupting the world by your sinful life 
and turn and seek Jesus and go to doing the right 
that shall bless and cheer and brighten the world! 
As the sinner on the one hand destroys good, the 
Christian on the other does good. "His works do 
follow him" and he shall receive a blessed reward. 
Where he does a good deed, lives a devoted and holy 
life, he doesn't know how much good he is doing, but 
he knows that he is helping to make heaven fuller of 



44 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

saints and expects some day to receive "a crown of 
life." 

Reader, always remember that "one sinner de- 
stroyeth much good," and then avoid a sinful life for 
Jesus' sake. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE WORTH OF A SOUL. 

**For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a 
man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt.l6:26. 

This is one of the greatest and most solemn ques- 
tions, perhaps, there is in the whole Bible and it was 
asked by the Master Himself. It appeals to us all. 
It is for the careful and thoughtful consideration of 
everyone, collectively and individually. We should, 
one and all, apply it to our own case and say : "What 
will it profit me, if I gain the whole world, and lose 
my own soul?" Yes, dear friends, what would our 
profit be? Just think of it for a while, honestly and 
sincerely. 

Knowing that life is only as a vapor that pa;sse3 
away in a short time, and that wealth is an annoy- 
ance, and a worry to the mind and body, and that it, 
too, is very short lived; and knowing that eternity 
is boundless and limitless, and stands just ahead, 
and that we must meet and endure it, what would 
we be profited if we were to gain the whole world 
and lose our soul? Alas! if we lose our soul, we 
have lost all. If we miss heaven we have missed all 
that is worth while. If we reach hell we shall have 
gained all that is horrible, miserable, woeful, pain- 
ful, dreadful, despisable and remorseful. Then does 

45 



46 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

it iw)t behoove us to look after our eternal welfare 
more than everything else in all the world? 

It is the duty of every sinner to give this great 
subject much and earnest and careful thought. The 
sinner stands in a dangerous and very critical place, 
unprepared to die and meet the judgment of a just 
God to which he is hastening, and to which he is 
drawing nearer and nearer each day of his life. The 
sinner is not fit for heaven, and yet is hastening on 
to the vast domains of eternity as fast as it is possi- 
ble to go. Therefore every sinner should give this 
subject thorough consideration, for it is the most 
solemn in all the world. We are all hastening along 
down the stream of time to the great ocean of Eter- 
nity, and if we are prepared we do not fear to 
launch out, but if unprepared we should have an aw- 
ful dread. Oh, sinner, "prepare to meet thy God !" 
The destiny of the sinner, as we all know, is sealed 
for hell if he dies in his sins, unredeemed by the 
blood of Jesus, while the Christian goes to take up 
his blessed abode in the realms of everlasting bliss 
and happiness. Then, since the tide of time is car- 
rying us on to eternity's shore, we should make sure 
that we are not going to be carried onto the break- 
ers and shoals of destruction. The Life Boat, Je- 
sus Christ, is ready to carry us into the haven of 
safety, the refuge of peace, if only we will take Him 
as our Pilot and our Savior. Then why not get in 
the Life Boat and make sure that we are safe and 
secure, in that He is our refuge and fortress, strong 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 47 

and mighty? No one can afford to neglect such a 
golden opportunity — never. 

The soul of man is the most precious and price- 
less thing in all the world. It is more precious than 
the finest of gold and more rare and valuable than 
diamonds and the costliest of gems. All the wealth 
of the whole world, with its millions and multiplied 
millions, trillions and multiplied trillions, is not 
equal in value to one precious soul — even one. The 
soul is worth everything else. The soul is price- 
less. Then if a man loses his immortal soul he has 
lost that which can never be restored — ^no, never ! He 
has to suffer an irreparable loss. Oh, that men and 
women would turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and 
live ! Oh, that there could be a great and wonderful 
ingathering of souls into the fold and kingdom of 
God ! Lord, grant that there may be a great move 
made toward the cross of Mount Calvary and the 
bleeding Christ that hung and died there to redeem 
the world! May the world behold this risen Savior 
and accept Him on the terms of salvation! 

The soul of man, as we understand, is to exist 
forever. There is no non-existence of the soul. It 
mtust inhabit some place forever — eternally. Some- 
one has said that we must keep ourselves company 
forever. How true this is. Then there is no death 
of the soul. It cannot die. It cannot pass into ob- 
livion. It cannot die as the body does. It lives, LIVES, 
LIVES, and must live, though it be in heaven or 
hell. Sometimes at death the soul is terribly alive as 



48 Life's Beatitiful Way Heavenward, 

to its destiny. Then if it lives forever, how careful 
we should be to do God's will that we may live with 
Him in heaven above. 

It is well known to us that heaven was prepared 
for the righteous and hell was prepared for the devil 
and his angels, and the sinner who doesn't repent 
of his sins goes there. Now of course no one wants 
to go to hell ; no, not one. Even the vilest sinner has 
a faint hope and idea of getting to heaven, and 
doesn't mean to be lost. He aims to change his life 
sometime, if not until the last hour of life. He does 
not intend to go to hell. He aims to repent and live 
better some day out in the future. But the sad and 
solemn fact is that he delays his salvation too long. 
I do not say that a sinner cannot be saved at the 
last hoiur of life, — ^be plucked as a bran from the 
eternal burning, — but the truth is that this is a rare 
case. This seldom ever happens. So, now, while 
you are in the bloom of life, while you have health 
and strength and the best use of your mind and 
body, is the time to make preparation for eternity, 
and not tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or 
next year, or at the last expiring moments of life 
when the body is writhing and agonizing in the 
pangs of death and the soul is to take its eternal 
flight. The Bible tells us: "Now is the day of sal- 
vation." *'Today, if ye hear his voice, harden not 
your heart." 

We cannot urge it too much and too impressively 
and too forcefully upon the sinner to accept Jesus 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 49 

now. How important is the present moment — ^now ! 
How everyone should act upon it and utilize it ! Ah, 
I wish that all could realize the importance of the 
present moment! It is all that we have — no more. 
We do not have promised us another moment, hour, 
month or year. No ; no more time. But we do have 
promised us an endless eternity. 

This life is short and fleeting. At most it is a 
few short years. And life here is blended, more or 
less, with oppression, sorrow, cares, woes, pains, 
toils, sighs, vexations and anxieties. Then knowing 
this, and expressing it, why do not all strive to reach 
a place "in the sv^eet by and by" where all this will 
never again be known? But instead of striving for 
a better and happier and more glorious place than 
this worid, many are making their way to a place 
that is a thousand times worse, no doubt. Oh, care- 
less, heedless, thoughtless people, what do you 
mean ? I appeal to you in Jesus* name, stop in your 
wild and sinful career and turn to God and be saved 
and be ready to meet Him when your days on earth 
are ended! Think of your salvation, day after day. 
Think of your soul, your soul, YOUR SOUL. What are 
you going to be profited if it is lost? 

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the w^hole 
world, and lose his own soul T Now we know that 
it is a practical impossibility for a man to gain the 
whole world. This language, spoken by Christ, is 
to show the great worth of the human soul. Even if 
it were possible for a man to gain the whole world 



50 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

and then lose his soul, what would it be worth to 
him? Would it purchase for him peace and happi- 
ness in the world to come? No, not in the least. It 
would not even buy for him one drop of water to cool 
his tongue. It would, I have no doubt, only add to 
his torment and torture, misery and agony. 

All the mighty hoards of silver and gold, rubies 
and diamonds and precious stones, and the great 
and inestimable wealth of the entire world will profit 
no one anything after this life is ended. He cannot 
take anything with him of this world's goods. We 
brought nothing into this world and it is true we 
will take nothing out. The poorest person in the 
world will be just as rich as the millionaire in heav- 
en if they both get there. And the wealthiest man 
in the known world will fare as badly as the poor- 
est man in hell if they get there together. Then we 
see that neither poverty or wealth will profit us 
anything in eternity. Only a life of goodness and 
Christian purity and integrity will profit us when 
this life is finished. Only a life of righteousness and 
holiness will inherit heaven. So it is absolutely nec- 
essary to prepare to meet God if we would share His 
richest blessings. If we have our hearts right in the 
sight of God this is all that will carry us through. 
God will examine the heart of each to see if we are fit 
subjects for the glory world. 

We are living in an age of worldly-mindedness. 
Men are longing, working, toiling, striving, hunger- 
ing and thirsting after the wealth of this world and 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 51 

not that of another. They are reaching out after 
and grasping the perishable things of earth and neg- 
lecting their souls and spiritual things. It seems to 
me that the people of today long and aspire for 
wealth more than anything else. They are laying 
up treasures upon earth, thus doing just the opposite 
to what Ohrist told us to do. Men are selling, as it 
were, their souls for the riches and treasures of the 
world. They are hazarding and even sacrificing ev- 
erlasting peace and happiness for their own self- 
gratifications and sinful lusts. They are choosing 
present pleasure instead of eternal happiness. 

There are people today who are spending all their 
time and energy and thought for the accumulation 
of earthly means and riches and thinking little or 
nothing of the Great Beyond and the life that is to 
be. How do you suppose they are going to fare in 
the next world? What will be their destiny? These 
questions are very easily answered, for we all know 
what will be the final end of those who are worldly- 
minded, who lay up treasures here and fail to lay up 
treasures in heaven. 'To be carnally minded is 
death." 

"What shall a mian give in exchange for his 
soul?" He must give up his sins. He must give up 
worldly-mindedness, vice, wickedness, all bad and 
sinful habits and come to the Lord Jesus Christ and 
repent of his sins and be *'born again." He must 
give up this world and its sinful pleasures. He must 
give God his heart, life, talent and all. He must con- 



52 Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Recrate his all to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then will 
he be saved and will inherit all things glorious. Oh, 
sinner, come to Jesus ! Come to Jesus now ! Think 
of your soul and where it is going to spend eterni- 
ty. Think of your soul and its salvation. Oh, your 
soul — ^how precious it is ! It's beyond all price, and 
Jes'us is trying to make you realize this fact. Think, 
my soul, my SOUL, oh MY SOUL! How I should 
attend to it without delay ! 

**For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a 
man give in exchange for his soul?" Lord, bless 
this message to the good of the reader for Jesus' 
sake. May Thy Holy Spirit accompany it and may 
someone or more be brought by it to the foot of the 
cross where the blood of Thy Son can wash his sins 
away, so that he may travel in the way of the right- 
eous and at last end his journey at the Beautiful 
Gate to hear Thy welcome voice, "Well done." Amen, 
and amen ! 



CHAPTER V. 

COME TO JESUS. 

**'Coine now, and let us reason together, saith the 
Lord : though j'^our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool." Isaiah 1 :18. 

This passage of Scripture is one of the most 
beautiful in the Bible. It is enough, it seems to me, 
to attract the vilest sinner in the world and cause 
him to come to God. There is in this text a wonder- 
ful picture of the sublime, — sublime in that it af- 
fords or promises remission of sin to all who will 
come to the Lord and '^reason" with Him. Even 
"though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool." The vilest sinner, the deepest 
dyed sinner, may come and be cleansed, as well as 
those who are not so sinful. None are excluded, all 
may come. The apostle Paul said : "This is a faith- 
ful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I 
am chief." Christ said He "came not to call the 
righteous, but sinners to repentance." He loves the 
sinner, and longs and yearns to save him from his 
sins. 

Jesus said Himself: "Come unto me, all ye that 
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

53 



54 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemoard, 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am 
meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto 
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is 
light." And to make His invitation sure His prom- 
ise is : "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast 
out." "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un- 
righteousness." Mark this, "ALL UNRIGHTEOUS- 
NESS." Glory for ever! 

No invitation can be more inviting than that 
which the Lord gives. All who come to Him are 
welcome. He wants them to come. There is no de- 
ceit about what He says. He appeals in the sweet- 
est, tenderest words, — "Come unto me and' I 

will give you rest." "Come now, and let us reason 

together though your sins be as scarlet, they 

SHALL be as white as snow ; thou^ they be red like 
crimson, they SHALL be as wool," — clean and 
white. Blessed promise! wonderful promise! glo- 
rious promise ! All there is for you to do, dear sin- 
ner, in order to have this promise fulfilled, is to come 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and "reason" with Him, 
— repent of your sins. 

Scarlet and crimson in the paintings of nature 
are very beautiful indeed, but ne^^-er are the scarlet 
and crimson sins and guilt of humanity beautiful. 
Nay, rather it is ugly and distasteful. We can never 
make sin to shine beautifully. Sin makes all who 
practice it have an unsightly appearance. It discom- 
fits, disables, defeats man in many ways and in- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenioard. 55 

stances. You may ask the sinner why his counte- 
nance wears a sad expression, and if he speaks the 
truth he will tell you it is on the account of sin. You 
may ask him what is the cause of his many heart- 
aches and sighs, and his reply will simply be, or 
should be, ''Sin, sin, sin." Sin has robbed him of 
health, strength, vitality, morals and Christian peace 
and happiness. Sin has detracted many days from 
his life, and those that remain it has made misera- 
ble and full of sorrow. Then, why do people persist 
in sin? Why do they not turn from it and live, — 
live eternally, — and enjoy life to its fullest extent? 
* 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life 
freely,'* says God. "Though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool." Then there is 
no need for anyone to stay away from God because 
his sins are great and black and smutty. Bring all 
your stains, your sins, to the soul-cleansing Fountain 
that washes white as' snow and be made pure and 
clean. God wants you to come; He asks you to come. 
The blood of the Lamb that was slain on Calvary's 
cross is sufficient to do for you all that should be 
done, — to purge your mind, your heart and soul and 
make them pure. ''The blood of Jesus Christ, His 
Son, cleanseth us from ALL sin." We cannot doubt 
God's word. He has declared that the deepest dyed 
sinner can be made white as snow if he will only 
come and "reason," — talk, converse, commune, — 
with the Lord. Oh, come! come! sinner, come! 



56 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Don't delay ; for *'how shall we escape if we neglect 
SO GREAT SALVATION ?'* 

The promise is to all in the world who will come. 
It is to every boy and girl, man and woman, regard- 
less of name, character, reputation, position, circum- 
stances and such like. One and all may come. If 
vice and wickedness have a terrible hold upon your 
life you can be set free by coming to God. You don't 
have to wait to get better before you approach the 
altar of repentance, before you bow at the feet of 
Christ. But come, saying, as did Charlotte Elliott,— 

"Just as I am, without one plea, 
But that Thy blood was shed for me, 
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee, 
Lamb of God! I come! I come!" 

Do you not want to step out into the marvelous 
light and liberty of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do yotf 
not want to be liberated from the prison cells of sin ? 
Satan has you bound down in fetters and chains. His 
awful clutches are upon you, and your condition is 
pitiable. It's a sad and pathetic scene to behold the 
wretched and undone condition of those who have 
given themselves over to the devil. But Jesus will 
set you free if you will only let Him. That is His 
business; that is why He came into the world 
and died. He says : ''Ye shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free." "If the Son there- 
fore shall make you free, ye shall be FREE IN- 
DEED." Glory to His precious name 1 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 57 

Sinner, don't you want to be a Christian ? There 
is beauty in Christianity that is indescribable. There 
are blessings that are untold. No tongue can tell it 
all, so wonderful it is. There sits, as it were, glory 
enthroned upon the Christian's brow. For where 
God is, is beauty, charm and glory. Where God is, is 
sublimity. Where God is, is happiness. 

The meanest man or woman, boy or girl, can be- 
come the best if they will let God have His way with 
them. The ugliest and most uncomely life of sin can 
become the handsomest and prettiest, in that Jeho- 
vah has done the work. All the rules and orders, 
precepts and regulations given by man may be ob- 
served, but it is nothing in comparison to following 
God's ways. Man's rules and orders fade and dwarf 
into insignificance beside the plans, rules and pre- 
cepts of the Divine. God stands s-upreme in all the 
universe, and to obey Him we receive strength and 
power as no other can give. When we have im- 
parted to us a portion of Infinite grace and love we 
become new creatures. When our hearts are cleans- 
ed from all sin we shine in a heavenly hue, — ^a daz- 
zling splendor. To be redeemed from sin is the 
greatest, grandest, noblest, most blessed and glo- 
rious thing in all the world. It seems to me that 
people are blinded to this one great truth. They 
get only a faint and dim idea of it, failing to see it 
in its fullest measure. Why is it? Why do we not 
see more people testifying to this marvelous truth? 
Simply because they stay away from God, and for 



58 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

that reason cannot get even a dim and faint fore- 
sight into His glory. Oh, that we had more true, 
humble, penitent seekers after God and truth, and 
more staunch believers ! Oh, that v^e could see 
God's glory verified more and more by our people 
and the v^hole w^orM ! Oh, for a "gigantic faith," as 
someone has called it, among our churches, in the 
hearts of Christians ! 

People today are seeking after refinement; but 
too many are searching for it outside the kingdom 
of God, not realizing that the greatest, richest re- 
finement is that which comes from God. No other 
is worthy to be compared with it. For what other 
agency, however refining and moralizing it may 
be, can produce such a great and wonderful effect, 
in that it can make the greatest and most miserable 
wretch in the world a saint ? Does it not take super- 
natural means to do this? Then God alone can do it. 
Have we not seen the most demoralized and depraved 
almost in the world made the cleanest and purest, 
and to shine the brightest? Have they not shone in 
a light and radiance that is wonderful to behold? 
And could we doubt their change of heart and life, 
and the working of a Divine power upon them ? No ; 
not in the least. We know that something marvel- 
ous and unspeakably glorious had been wrought in 
their lives, and we rejoiced and gloried with them. 
It strengthened us even in our faith in God, and made 
us love Him more and feel more desirous to do His 
will at all cost. We felt like praising Him for His 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 59 

mercy, His mysterious workings, His wonderful 
power of redemption, and His immortal love for poor 
and wretched humanity. We knew that He had veri- 
fied His promise to us which says: ^'Though your 
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; 
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as 
wool." 

The redemption of the human soul, I sincerely 
believe, is the greatest work of God. I believe it ex- 
cels the glory of all His handiwork in nature because 
it has cost Him so much, — His only begotten Son, 
Jesus Ohrist. Sometimes, no doubt, we look at the 
wonderful handiwork of our Creator and wonder 
what can be greater and more glorious. We stand 
almost awestricken as we look upon the charming 
scenes that surround us. We behold the lofty and 
majestic mountains, vnth their crags and peaks that 
seem to touch the sky, and which jut into the crim- 
son and golden clouds and hide themselves away in 
grandeur indescribable, and wonder what could be 
greater and grander. We view the green fields and 
flower-bedecked lawns, the vine-clad hills and the 
waving trees, and wonder what could be more won- 
derful than all this. We see the golden-tinted vrood- 
land with its shades of scarlet and crimson and au- 
burn, and wx)nder what could excel this. We gaze 
upon the sunrise and sunset glories, and wonder 
what could be more wonderful than all this. Then 
we gaze into the etherial dome of the heavens, with 
their myriads of constellations and planets, and 



($0 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

think surely this is the greatest work of God. But 
it isn't. Your redemption, your salvation, is great- 
er. It is the greatest of all. Then why not accept 
salvation, since it is so glorious? Accept it now. 
Come to God today. Come and "reason" with the 
Lord, as He bids you. Let Him save your soul. Let 
Him redeem you ere it is too late. "Today, if ye 
hear his voice, harden not your heart." 

Dear sinner, your sins are as scarlet and crim- 
son. Sin has and is cursing you, and you have fallen 
low beneath its crushing load. It may be that it is 
robbing you of your health and strength, sapping 
your vitality, taking your very life's blood, enfeeb- 
ling your physical force in general, weakening your 
mind and damning your soul. It is robbing you of 
enjoyment, peace, happiness and contentment. It 
may be that sin has taken your sweet sleep away 
from you and is causing you restless nights and un- 
easiness and distress from day to day. It may have 
cast a pall of gloom, over your life and congealed ev- 
ery pleasure. (Sin will do this). It may be that 
your sun (spiritual sun) is darkened and your days 
are being shortened. If such is the case, even in 
part if not in all , just COME AND "REASON" 
WITH THE LORD. Come repenting, and- your soul 
shall be made as white as snow. Glorious thougnt ! 
Think of being as beautiful and clean and white as 
snow! What is more honorable and more to be de- 
sired? What is more glorious? The Psalmist said : 
"Wash me, and I shall be WHITER than snow." Not 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 61 

only as white as snow, but whiter. Praise God for 
such wonderful cleansing power ! It's for you, sin- 
ner friend. 

If your soul is colored with all kinds of sins, — 
black smutty sins, — as the song says : *'Come to Jesus 
with it all." If your heart and lips are tainted with 
falsehood, come on and "reason" with the Lord con- 
cerning it. If your tongue has spoken and is speak- 
ing profane language, come on and "reason" with 
the Lord. If you have taken God's holy name in 
vain; if you have cursed and sworn bitterly, come 
just the same. If your heart is corrupted with 
adultery, do not hesitate to come. If you are har- 
boring malice in your heart, do not stay away from 
God any longer. This is sending your soul to hell. 
Let Him remove it, forgive and pardon you, and 
save you with an everlasting salvation. If your 
heart is polluted with lust and covetousness, drunk- 
enness and debauchery, come and let God help you 
to overcome it all. If you are affected with evil 
speech and have a detestable, odious nature, come 
and "reason" with the blessed Lord Jesus. Bring all 
your sins and guilt to Him, though they be as "scarlet 
and crimson." He will make them as white as nsow 
and wool. His promises are sure. They never fail. 
He always fulfills them. Jesus said: "Heaven and 
earth shall pass away, but my words SHlAJlrL not 
pass away." There is no deception on God's part. 
He's Goodness, Love and Truth combined. He does 
not, He cannot lie. Rather **let God be TRUE, but 



62 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

every man a liar." He is Truth itself. With Him 
there "is no variableness, neither shadow of turn- 
ing.*' Then, won't you come and try Him? Come 
and prove Him. Oh, come, sinner, come to God! In 
Jesus' name come. Hearken to His great appeals! 
Listen to His blessed words and accept the glory He 
has in store for you : ''Come now, and let us reason 
together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scar- 
let, they shall be as white as snow; though they be 
red like crimson, they shall be as wool.*' 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE WATER OF LIFE. 

Over in Revelation, the last chapter and the lat- 
ter part of the seventeenth verse we read : "Whoso- 
ever will, let him take the water of life freely.'' This 
is an invitation from God, and it's to all the world, 
reaching or including all nations, all kinds and class- 
es of people, with none excluded. The word "'Who- 
soever," which is made up or composed of three 
words, "who," and "so," and "ever," has a very 
broad meaning, and we find it in the Bible quite a 
number of times. Christ Himself used the word dif- 
ferent times and for different reasons. It is used 
when something that is far-reaching is to be ex- 
pressed, something that is broad and expansive is to 
be taken in, something that will reach all mankind 
that come under the particular term in which it is 
used. Saint John tells us that "God so loved the 
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that 
WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life." Now this includes every- 
one that believes in Jesus Christ, and takes Him as 
their Savior, the world over, whether there be many 
or few. "Whosoever" here takes in all who believe, 
and no others. "Whosoever" in the first Scripture 
that I quoted takes in all who will "take the water of 
life freely." Those who won't are not included. It 

63 



64 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

is left to the choice and the will of the person, as we 
are all free moral agents in this world, and can take 
or reject if we are willing to risk the consequences 
hereafter. We are not compelled to believe on Jesus 
Christ, neither are we compelled to take the water of 
life, but we had better or else we are going to be 
compelled to go to hell. We are free to act here, but 
we'll not be free to act in eternity. If we do not 
come when God invites us, we'll be sure to go when 
He says go. 

* 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life 
freely." 'Tor God so loved the world, that He gave 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
Glory to God ! D. L. Moody once said that he was so 
glad that '"whosoever" is in the Bible. He said if the 
Bible had said that "God so loved the world that He 
gave his only begotten Son, that if D. L. Moody be- 
lieved in him he should not perish, but have everlast- 
ing life," he would not have known whether that 
meant him or not, as there might have lived a man 
by that name before him, or there might live a man 
by that name after him. It would be uncertain, he 
said, whether it meant him. But since the Bible said 
"whosoever" he knew he was included, and there 
was no uncertainty about it. 

So when God says : "Whosoever will, let him take 
the water of life freely," He means you and me, one 
and all. The invitation is extended to both the low 
and the high, the rich and the poor. The only thing 



Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 65 

to do is to come and partake. The Fountain is eb- 
bing over with the water of life, — living water, free 
water. **Let him that is a thirst come. And who- 
soever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
There's no price to be paid. Nothing to do but to 
give up sin, repent, plunge into the soul-cleansing 
tide, and accept the water of life. 

The thing to do, dear reader, is to take the water 
of life a® God offers it to you. Come. Use your will 
power. Whosoever stays away, whosoever WILL 
not take this living water, whosoever wills to thirst, 
famish, suffer, perish, die, can do so. Christ offers 
the remedy, ''the water of life freely," but if we 
won't accept it we must suffer the consequences. It's 
not His fault, He is not to blame, if any man perish. 
Men perish because of the choice they make. 

Oh, isn't it good of our heavenly Father to give 
us salvation free ? If we had it to buy, no doubt but 
what many of us would fail, as we are poor and 
would be unable to purchase. But God has so fixed 
it that it is for all, "without money and without 
price." The very poorest have as good a chance and 
as much right to the water of life as those who have 
great riches. Amen and amen! Praise His dear 
name forever ! Hallelujah ! 

Over in the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, we read : 
"Ho, everyone that thirsteth and him that hath no 
money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine 
and milk without money and without price. Where- 
fore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? 



66 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

And your labor for that which satisfieth not ? heark- 
en diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, 
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline 
your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul 
shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant 
with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I 
have given him for a witness to the people, a leader 
and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt 
call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that 
knew^ not thee shall run into thee because of the Lord 
thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel ; for he hath 
glorified thee. 

*'Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye 
upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and 
let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him; and to our God: for he will abundantly 
pardon. 

"For my thoughts are not your thou^ts, neither 
are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the 
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways 
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your 
thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the 
snow from heaven, and retumeth not thither, but 
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and 
bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread 
to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth out of 
my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it 
shall accomplislh that which I please, and it shall 
prosper in the thing whereto I send it. For ye shall 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 67 

go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the 
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you 
into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap 
their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the 
fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the 
myrtle tree : and it shall be to the Lord for a name, 
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." 
Glory to our Father ! 

The Lord makes the way of salvation and life ev- 
erlasting so plain that "'wayfaring men, though 
fools, shall not err therein." He takes the plain, 
simple things that we can see and feel and know and 
understand to illustrate the plan and way of salva- 
tion and eternal life. Here He calls it "the water of 
life," and says we may take it freely. Now we all 
know what water is. We know it when we see it, 
and we know it when we drink it. Water is a neces- 
sity to life, and without which we could not live, and 
without which everything would wither and parch 
and die. The grass and the flowers and the trees 
and herbs of all kinds would parch, and men and 
fowls and animals of all kinds would die if there were 
no water on the earth. Water is life-preserving, re- 
freshing and strengthening and revivifying. We 
know what it is to drink at the fountain and slake 
our thirst. When we are dry nothing is more pleas- 
ant and delightful and needful than a drink of pure, 
cold, crystal water. So it is with the thirsty soul 
that is thirsting after God, salvation, and righteous- 
ness. As natural water preserves and' sustains nat- 



68 Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

ural life, so spiritual water, which Jesus calls **the 
water of life," sustains spiritual life. 

But many people today are dying spiritually, dy- 
ing of spiritual thirst, dying for the lack and want 
of the water of life, and won't take it. It is like a 
man sitting down by a stream or a well or a spring 
of beautiful, healthful water and refusing to par- 
take of it. He's dying with thirst, the water is right 
by his side as free as the air he breathes, nothing to 
do but to reach down and dip up all he needs and 
drink and live. But he won't do it, and consequent- 
ly he dies. There's no one to blame but himself. Just 
so it is with the man who is dying for the water of 
life. It is for him, right at his side, free, "without 
money and without price," and Jesus says to him: 
"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life free- 
ly." But he won't take it, and the result is he dies. 
Hence he is to blame and not God or somebody else. 
He can't come up to the Bar of Justice and say to 
God : "You are to blame for not saving me, for not 
giving me the water of life, for not redeeming me 
when I was in yonder world." Neither can he blame 
his f ellov^Tnan. He alone is to blame and must suffer 
the consequences. 

Now, dear reader, are you a Christian? Haven't 
you drunk the water of life yet? If not, you are act- 
ing very unwisely. You are like the man that sits by 
a stream or well or spring of water and dies with 
thirst just because he won't reach out and dip up 
and drink. The water, the remedy, is for you, but 



Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 69 

you must accept it. Jesus gives it to all who will 
come and receive it. And it is indeed living water 
and lasts forever. 

"Ho ! everyone that thirsts, draw nigh, 
CTis God invites the fallen race) 
Mercy and free salvation buy, 
Buy milk, and wine, and 'gospel grace. 

"Come to the living waters, — come 
Sinners, obey your Master's voice ; 
Return ye weary wanderers, home. 
And in redeeming love rejoice. 

"See — ^from the Rock a fountain rise! 

For you, — in living streams it rolls ; 
Money ye need not bring, nor price. 

Ye laboring, burdened, sin-sick souls. 

"Nothing ye in exchange shall give; 
Leave all ye have, and are, behind ; 
Freely the gift of God receive 
Pardon and peace in Jesus find." 

Again I say to you with the poet, — 

"Let not conscience make you linger, 

Nor fitness madly dream ; 
The only fitness He requireth 

Is to feel your need of Him." 



70 Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Ag'ain, — 

"Life is the time to serve the Lord, 
The time to insure the great reward ; 
And while the lamp holds out to burn 
The vilest sinner may return." 

Jesus once had a conversation with a Samaritan 
woman at Jacob's well who came to draw water. 
After a little conversation Jesus said to the woman : 
* Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst 
again ; but whoisoever shall drink of the water that I 
give him shall never thirst; but the water that I 
shall give him shall be in him a well of water spring- 
ing up into everlasting life.'' Jesus was speaking of 
this same water of life which we have been talking 
about, and which He offers to all who will take it. 
He is so anxious that we drink and live that He has 
even invited us in the last chapter of His sacred 
Book, and almost in His last words. Oh, it's such a 
blessed invitation ! And how sweet it is to accept it 
and drink of the water of life and never more grow 
thirsty, — thirsty in the soul! In us it is a well of 
water "springing up into everlasting life." Hosanna 
to God in the highest! 

I remember hearing a good man tell this little 
story which came under his own observation. Once 
a little boy was sick with fever. As the fever burn- 
ed he became very dry and thirsty. He called for 
water continually, and one drink after another was 
given him. But one day, with a bright, beautiful 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 71 

look on his face he told tihem that he would never 
need any more water. He said he had been drinking 
of the water of life which Jesus gives. Evidently he 
had, as he lived for some days and never drank any 
more w^ater. Jesus had satisfied his morbid thirst by 
giving* him the water of life, and he never thirsted 
any more. Then God called him home to glory 
where no thirst ever comes, where the river of life 
flows beautifully and sweetly forever. "Bless the 
Lord, my soul !" "Whosoever will, let him take the 
water of life freely." 



CHAPTER VIL 

USE YOUR OPPORTUNITIES. 

We lose too many opportunities of doing good in 
life. It is only the opportunity that is used that 
•blesses us and our fellowman. No opportunity that 
is wasted or is let to pass by unavailed of is a bless- 
ing to anyone. Instead of bringing a blessing and 
a source of joy and happiness it rather gives bitter- 
ness, for we are made to feel regretful, — ^regretful 
that we did not utilize it, for we see and realize that 
it was golden and priceless. Now that it has flown 
and is gone forever, never to be recalled, we are 
aware of how great a loss we sustain in having fail- 
ed to accept it. No doubt we would all be better men 
and women, more powerful, more influential, more 
Christlike and with a far greater ability to aocom^ 
pliish in various ways had we only used rightly and 
advantageously every good opportunity we have had 
in life. Our force of character would have been 
greater, and we would have been a brighter light in 
the world for God, and more benefit to one another. 
We would be scaling the mountain peaks of useful- 
ness and beneficence, with success crownimgi our 
lives and making famous our careers had we only 
used well our opportunities. 

We waste and lose too many opportunities. We 
do not seem to know and understand their worth, 

72 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 73 

and what a mistake we make in letting them pass 
empty away. The stream would never turn the mill 
if we did not make the mill and arrange it to pull the 
wheels and grind our bread. The water would flow 
on and we would lose a great source of power and 
usefulness if we did not harness this mighty monster 
of strength to do our work. Hence it is with every 
opportunity of life. God gives us opportunity after 
opportunity, privilege after privilege, and it is for us 
to accept them and succeed or reject them and fail, 
not only in this life but in the life to come. For it is 
ours to accept the opportunity God has given us of 
obtaining salvation and eternal life. 

All have opportunities in life, while some have 
greater than others, it is true, as circumstances and 
surroundings are more favorable for them. And 
again, some are more worthy of good opportunities 
than others and are more competent to use them so 
as to get good and great results. But I believe the 
reason most men who succeed so well in life, whose 
names are famous, whose deeds are a living blessing 
to the world, whose influence lives after them, and 
whom the world prides itself in rising up and calling* 
blessed, and to whom Jesus will say at the Golden 
Gate : * Well done," is because they have used their 
opportunities and the talents that were given them 
to a good advantage. 

We succeed, we accomplish in life, we wrought, 
we rise, according to how well we use our opportuni- 
ties, both in the affairs of this world and in spiritual 



74 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

things. Men get an education and build themselves 
up into honorable, trustworthy positions because 
they use their opportunity of obtaining it even if 
that opportunity is very ismall and they must work 
their way up through difficulty and hardships,toil and 
incessant efforts, shadows and gloom and discour- 
agements. For they know that things can be made 
to yield to their determinations. Even difficulties 
themselves can be made to yield to the patient and 
persevering man's touch and turned into a channel 
of helpfulness. Men who have succeeded well know 
that if they had been less determined and more com- 
promising with difficulties and hindrance® they 
would have failed in reaching that for which they as- 
pired. 

From the smallest oi>portunity, if rightly and 
properly used, will grow the greatest of results, — 
results that are wonderful and almost astonisihing. 
But even, however, if we do not get out of oppor- 
tunity more than doing little deeds of service and 
kindness and Christlikeness for others, speaking 
some sweet, pleasant, encouraging word from time 
to time, lending a hand of helpfulness to the needy 
and offcast, lifting up the down-trodden and fallen, 
winning a soul for the Master and living near the 
cross of Christ our Savior, we do exceedingly well. 
If out of opportunity we accomplish little, and do no 
great things to attract the attention of the world, 
yet live a sweet, gentle, pure, lovely. Christlike life, 
bearing in our bodies "the marks of the Lord Jesus," 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 75 

like Paul the apostle, and following "in His steps" 
our lives will in no wdse be spent in vain. Christ will 
honor and bless them to His own glory and reward 
us according in His blissful realms above. 

Use your opportunities. Don't waste them, for 
this within itself is an evil. Try to make the best of 
what is afforded you. Take courage, look about and 
see how highly you are favored. We have very lit- 
tle, except in our own lives, to complain of, but very 
mu/^h to be thankful for. Look at those who are in 
so much worse circumstances than you are, and then 
maybe you v^ll be more thankful, more appreciative, 
of your owTi blessings and opportunities. Mothers, 
your opportunities may be small as you think, being 
limited mostly to your own household and family, yet 
they are not so small after all. If you train well 
your children you are doing great and noble things. 
You may be rearing a son or daughter that will be a 
bright light to the world in the afterwards, and will 
be a source of pleasure to you in your declining years 
of life and upon whose arms you can lean for isuccor. 
You may be rearing the most useful boys or girls the 
world has ever known. You may be rearing a son 
who will bear the news of a crucified Savior to a 
perishing world, and who will bear His cross, how- 
ever heavy it may be, most faithfully, heroically and 
uncomplainingly, thus winning multitudes to Jesus 
Christ as he tells to the world the sweet old story 
"of Jesus and His love." You may be rearing a son 
who will be a leader of men, or a daughter that will 



76 Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

stand in the foremost ranks of the world, leading up^ 
ward to noble womanhood and purity and living an 
exemplary life to beautify the world. You may be 
rearing a daughter that will relieve isuffering hu- 
manity, lift up the fallen, ''rescue the perishing and 
care for the dying." She may be the best girl and 
the most useful in the community, and will shine for 
Jesus wherever she goes. So don't despair. Use 
well the opportunities God gives you and some hap- 
py day He will say to you: "Enter into the joy of 
thy Lord." 

Young man, young girl, use your opportunities. 
You cannot even tell yourself what you may accom- 
plish in life. Great things are awaiting you if only 
you will avail yourselves of the means and opportu- 
nities that will enable you to attain them. Don't 
waste your time ; don't waste your chance in life, for 
you cannot live your life over again. It is for you 
to make the best of your life while you may. * 'Shine 
just where you are," and do not delay in looking for 
a better place and a better time. Work your way up. 
Be desirous to live a profitable life and to do things 
worth while. But, above all, use every opportunity 
you have of advancing in righteousness and Christ- 
likeness, and of serving and laboring for Jesus your 
Lord. Have great aspirations to reach life's best. 
Hunger and thirst after the things that will build 
you up and establish you in noble manhood and wo- 
manhood and "the most holy faith." Don't be con- 
tent vdth being nothing. Let such be beneath you. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 11 

Uise the opportunities and means that God gives you 
and see how much you can make of them. Men who 
have been far less privileged than you are, no doubt, 
have risen from obscurity to usefulness and renown. 
Begin with your present opportunities and do not 
wait for better ones to come. Help to make your 
own opportunities and see how well it works. 
Where there seems to be little chance and small op- 
portunities, sometimes we can change them about by 
work and good common sense and make of them 
great opportunities which result in wonderful ac- 
complishments. 

If you have wasted many opportunities in life, 
do not let this stand as a barrier between you and 
duty, God and usefulness. You can't recall the past 
nor undo it, therefore it is for you to make the best 
of the future. Gk> forward, and as Longfellow 
says, "Cast no lingering look behind." And along 
the way let us heed what the Apostle said : "As we 
have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all 
men, especially unto those who are of the household 
of faith.'' Gal. 6:10. 

Following is a beautiful little poem which I have 
selected that is very timely and appropriate and 
which, I believe, the reader will enjoy, and should 
derive from it courage and benefit, — 



78 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

"OPPORTUNITY." 

(Walter Malone) 

"They do me wrong who say I come no more 
When once I knock and fail to find you in ; 
For every day I stand outside your door, 
And bid you wake and rise to fight and win, 

"Wail not for previous chances passed away, 
Weep not for golden ages on the wane : 

Each night I burn the records of the day: 

At sunrise every soul is born again. 

"Laugh like a boy at splendors that have sped. 
To vanished joys be blind and deaf and dumb; 
My judgments seal the dead past with the dead, 
But never bind a moment yet to come. 

"Though deep in mire, wring not your hands' and 
weep ; 
I lend my arms to all who say "I can ;" 
No shamefaced outcast ever sank so deep 
Biut yet might rise and be again a man. 

"Dost thou behold thy lost youth all aghast? 
Dost reel from righteous retribution's blow? 
Then turn from blotted archives of the past. 
And find the future's pages white as snow. 

"Art thou a mourner? Rouse thee from thy spell; 
Art thou a sinner? Sins may be forgiven; 
Each morning gives thee wings to flee from hell ; 
Each night a star to guide thy feet to heaven." 



CHAPTER VIII. 



'SHINE JUST WHERE YOU ARE. 



»> 



Some months ago I saw a little scrap of paper 
lying on the ground and picked it up. It was a beau- 
tiful little poem entitled, "Shine Just Where You 
Are." The poem appealed to me, and I saved it be- 
cause it contains a good lesison. And in order that 
others may be permitted to read it, I print it. It 
reads as follows: 

"Don't waste your time in longing 
For bright, impossible things; 

Don't sit supinely yearning 
For the swiftness of wings; 

"Don't spurn to be a rushlight 

Because you are not a star, 
But brighten some bit of darkness 

By shining just where you are. 

"There is need of the tiniest candle 

As well as the garish sun ; 
The humblest deed is ennobled 

When it is worthily done. 

*'You may never be called to brighten 

The darkened regions afar ; 
So fill, for the day, your mission 
By shining just where you are." 

— John Hay. 
79 



80 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

I realize that too many people today are wasting 
their time in longing "for bright, impossible things/' 
as the poet has expressed it, and therefore are fail- 
nig to shine just where they are. It is true that we 
can't all be the sun, but we can be a "rush light," or 
a tiny little star twinkling in the world in righteous- 
ness and holiness, — shining for Jesus. 

We can be a little candle and lead somebody along 
the dark pathway of life, and guide them over dan- 
gerous places. The poet says : 

*'There is need of the tiniest candle, 
As well as the garish sun." 

And so if we can't be the "garish sun," we can be 
the tiny candle. There is a great need at present of 
more lights on "candle sticks" that they may give 
**light unto all that are in the house." Too many, I 
fear, have their lights "under a bushel," where they 
are worthless. The world needs these little lights 
as well as the great, powerful and "garish sun." We 
can and should "brighten some bit of darkness by 
shining just where we are." We need to make the 
little comers and spheres in which we stay brighter 
and brighter. There is need of brightening the 
humble little circle in which we move. Somebody 
is in the deep darkness of sin, woe and despair, and 
we should light and brighten the pathway that leads 
to the cross. We need to point out to them "the 
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the 
world." How glorious it is to do so ! No mission is 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 81 

greater and more sublime. And if by our little 
lights — little deeds of love, kindness and good in- 
fluence — we lead them to Jesus and uplift them in 
life we do well. 

'Christ Jesus said in His beautiful sermon on the 
mount: "Let your light so shine before men, that 
they may see your good works, and glorify your 
Father which is in heaven." Hence it is our indis- 
pensable duty, as Christian people, to *'so shine*' that 
others may be made to glorify God by our lives, — • 
the influence that we wield. We can "so shine'' as 
we pass along that others will be influenced to fol- 
low us and to "ascend into the hill of the Lord" with 
"clean hands and a pure heart." Let me here em- 
phasize the little word "so," which Jesus used. "Let 
your light SO shine." Let it shine SO brightly; let 
it shine SO beautifully, charmingly and dazzlingly 
"just where you are," if it be in your home, your 
church, your school, on the farm, in your office, along 
the highway, in the shops, in public or in private ; — 
"Let your light SO shine" anywhere and everywhere 
that others may be benefited thereby, and made to 
glorify our heavenly Father. 

Yes, "there is need of the tiniest candle," and are 
you Vvilling to be that candle? Are you willing to 
take the humblest place, and the darkest and most 
obscure, and as a little light shine and gleam there? 
These dark and obscure places need lighting, and 
must be, if the world is to be brought to Christ. 
Those who are in these places of sin and gloom have 



82 Life's Beaiitiful Way Heavemvard. 

precious souls, and it is up to you and me to win 
them to Christ. — ^to shine along the dark ways of 
evil. Perhaps the great, ''garish sun'' cannot shine 
in these places. Its beams may not penetrate there, 
but a very tiny little candle can be placed in there 
and light the darkness like the little lights which 
they carry in the coal mines in the heart of the hills 
and mountains where the sun that lights the world 
can't shine. Then are you willing to carry this little 
light? Jesus wants you to. Because you can't be a 
great light or carry one, (I mean a great influence) 
and do great deeds to attract the attention of the 
world, are you going to fail to shine altogether? Be- 
cause you do not have five talents, are you going to 
hide the one which God has given you? Would it 
not be better to add to it another? God has given 
to us according to our ''several ability," and if He 
has not given us the power to be a great light we 
must be a little one. We must shine as a little ray. 
And our little ray will have its effect. Some precious 
soul will be saved thereby. Someone wall be rescued 
who is perishing and this is w^orth more than the 
riches of the whole world. Then won't you be con- 
tent to be this little light and send your bright beams 
out into the dark world and uplift mankind? You 
will be a blessing, shining quietly and effectively. 
Just a little ray, shining and gleaming, brings cheer 
and comfort, love and life. Drooping hearts and de- 
spondent lives will be revived, and sunshine will take 
the place of shadows and gloom. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 83 

**Shine just where you are," is a good policy. 
Don't wait until you are somewhere else. There is 
much need of your light, "just where you are.'' If 
you wait until you are able to fill some great posi- 
tion in life you may never shine, for you may never 
fill that position, although I like to see people aspire 
for great things. If you wait until you are on the 
hill top or mountain summit you may never shine. 
But shine noiv. There is need of your light in the 
deep, dark valley as well as on the lofty hill top or 
mountain summit. Of course your light will not be 
seen as far when in the valley as it would be on the 
hill top or mountain, hut there must he a light along 
the valley. Men can't reach the hill top without first 
going out of the valley. And the way must be light- 
ed. Then will you be that light? Are you waiting 
to be a Talmage or a Moody before you shine? Then 
perhaps you will never shine, as you may never be 
able to shine like that. But you must fill your own 
position or sphere, tJiough it may be a very humble 
one. You must be yourself, — be your own light, by 
the grace of Jesus. It is not good policy or good 
common sense to fail to do our duty because we can't 
do as much as somebody else. It is not the best to 
covet the place of others, or envy them ; and because 
we can't be as they, the "garish sun," perha;ps, 
"spurn to be a rushlight." Yet, men are doing this, 
no doubt. But God wants us to be a little candle if 
we can't be the sun. He honors and blesses the little 
lights that are shining for Him as much as He does 



84 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

the great ones. We are His, even if little and weak. 
And He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties," says the Bible. Sometimes He takes the "'weak 
things) of the world to confound the things which are 
mighty.'' So if we would be noble, and blessed of 
our Father who is Love, we must shine for Him. **A 
burning and a shining light" for Jesus, — ^how good ! 
To "shine just where you are," — ^to be a little "rush- 
light" for Grod, — how wonderful ! 

I remember reading this little story. There was 
once a man on a ship who was very sick. He was 
unable to be up, and so he had to lie upon a cot. One 
night someone fell overboard into the water and 
was drowning. It was dark outside and the perish- 
ing man could not be seen. Just then the sick man 
was thinking how he might help to rescue the drown- 
ing man. There was a little light in his room, and 
the thought came to seize the light and hold it up to 
a port hole in the ship. And so when he held the 
light up it gleamed forth upon the waters. Just then 
they were enabled to see the perishing man and he 
was saved at the last moment. Thus by the sick man 
holding a light he saved a life. You see he was 
willing and desirous to shine just where he was. Al- 
though unable to do anything but hold a light, which 
was a little deed, yet he did a great and noble deed. 
So the great and vital lesson we need to learn is to 
shine just where we are. 

To quote the words of the poet again : 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 85 

"Don't spurn to be a rushlight 

Because you are not a star, 
But brighten some bit of darkness 

By shining just where you are. 

^*You may never be called to brighten 

The darkened region afar ; 
So fill, for the day, your mission 

By shining just where you are." 



CHAPTER IX. 
SOUL-WINNNIG. 

Soul-winning is the most needful, most impor- 
tant, most blessed work, doubtless, in the world. 
Nothing equals it, nothing measures up to it. Solo- 
mon said: "He that winneth souls is wise." Prov. 
11 :30. And over in Daniel, the 12th chapter and the 
3rd verse we read: "They that be wise shall shine 
as the brightness of the firmament; and they that 
turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and 
ever." Oh, just think of turning men from sin and 
wickedness and crime and shame to righteousness 
and goodness and honor and glory ! Think of turn- 
ing them from serving Satan to serving and wor- 
shipping the Lord Jesus Christ! Think of turning 
them from the darkness and blackness of evil to the 
brightness, loveliness and blessedness of Christiani- 
ty ! Think of helping to change and transform their 
ungodly lives into the likeness of the beautiful and 
sublime life of our Lord and Master! Think of so 
changing their heart and nature and life and dispo- 
sition that their character is moulded and formed so 
wonderfully that it not only blesses and beautifies 
the world in which we live, but God even thinks it 
worth while to transplant them into His everlasting 
kingdom above, where, no doubt, their presence adds 

86 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 87 

to its glory and their joy adds to its pleasure and 
happiness ! Just think of turning men from the way 
of death, ruin and destruction to the way of life and 
peace forever! How blessed! No wonder Solomon 
said: "He that winneth souls is wise." No wonder 
that the soul- winner * 'shall shine as the brightness 

of the firmament ; and as the stars for ever 

and ever." 

The need of soul-winning is most urgent. On 
every side there are precious souls that are perish- 
ing. The darkness of sin has encompassed them 
about, and in this darkness they are groping their 
way on and on to ruin and eternal woe. They are 
lost, and oh, how sad ! They are lost forever unless 
you and I, by the help and for the sake of Jesus who 
died that they might live, go out and find them and 
bring them to the cross and to the feet of Jesus 
where they can be washed and cleansed and purified 
and adopted into the fold and family of God our 
Father. How needful it is that we "rescue the per- 
ishing !" I wish that every Christian would heed the 
earnest appeal of that sweet hymn, — 

''ElESCUE THE PERISHING." 

"Rescue the perishing, 

'Care for the dying, 
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave ; 
Weep o'er the erring one, 

Lift up the fallen. 
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save. 



88 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

CHORUS. 
"Rescue the perishing, 
Oare for the dying; 
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. 

"Though they are slighting Him, 

Still He is waiting, 
Waiting the penitent child to receive ; 
Plead with them earnestly, 

Plead vdth them gently; 
He will forgive if they only believe. 

"Down in the human heart, 

Feelings lie buried that grace can restore : 

Crushed by the tempter. 

Touched by a loving heart, 
Wakened by kindness. 
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more. 

"Rescue the perishing. 

Duty demands it; 
Strength for your labor the Lord will provide : 

Back to the narrow way 
Patiently win them; 

Tell the poor wand'rer a Savior has come." 
We want to notice for a little while some of the 
ways by which we may win souls for Jesus and thus 
become soul-winners indeed and in truth. First, it 
is absolutely necessary that we be true, noble, up- 
right, pure-hearted Christians, living a deep and 
thorough spiritual and prayer-life, thus walking in 
the path that Jesus trod. We must know Him and 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 89 

have His holy presence in our souls, His law written 
in our hearts and His power bequeathed to our very 
being and influence, with our hearts full of love Di- 
vine, His sunshine in our faces and shining and 
sparkling all about us, then we are equipped for the 
work of our Master as a real soul-winner. 

When we are hidden with Christ in God we are 
so endued with soul-winning power that we do not 
eA^en have to utter a word sometimes to draw some- 
one to Jesus. Christ in our life draws them. Once a 
good woman, filled with the Holy Ghost, walked to a 
man in church and only laid her hand on his should- 
er and it so struck conviction to his heart that he 
went to the altar to find Jesus. Her life, her influ- 
ence, her godliness and righteousness was so power- 
ful that it drew him to Jesus. It was attractive. She 
was fulfilling the command of Jesus which says; 
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may 
see your good works, and glorify your Father which 
is in heaven." For every good life, — every life that 
is very near in likeness to that of Jesus, — attracts 
sinners to the meek and lowly Savior who takes 
away the sins of the world. A good, gentle, sweet, 
kind, holy life is so beautiful that others, seeing it, 
are attracted into a Christian life. And such a life 
is a soul-winning life. Hence the most important 
factor in soul-winning is a noble, Christlike life. 
Without this we are a failure, and an effort will 
prove to be in vain ; but with it we are successful in 
the work for Jesus. 



90 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

Another wonderful and effective means by which 
we grow rich and fruitful in the soul-winning work 
is prayer, — deep, rich, earnest, soul-sprung prayer. 
It is known only to God how many souls have been 
won by effective, fervent prayer. The Bible tells 
us : "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man 
availeth much." Jesus said : "Ask, and ye shall re- 
ceive." Ask that the Father will convict and con- 
vert the sinner. Remain at His feet in soul-agony, 
in deep prayer, in prayer that reaches high heaven 
until Jesus becomes real and you get an answer to 
your prayer, making known the fact that the work 
will be done, that the soul of the sinner will be saved. 
"What things soever ye desire when ye pray BE- 
LIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them." "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in 
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done 
unto you." "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, 
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the 
Son." "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will 
do it." These are unfailing promises quoted from 
God's eternal Word and they are for every follower 
and lover of the lowly Nazarene. This is enough to 
make our faith take wings and "mount up," mount 
to the sky and the throne of Him who sitteth upon it 
forever, who hears the cries of every saint and re- 
wards them bountifully. 

If you would have a soul saved, linger long and 
pray mudh at the feet of Jesus, believing that your 
prayer will be answered. Pray until you hear from 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 91 

God. Pray until the sweet assurance comes that the 
object of your prayer is brought into the fold of our 
Redeemer and one gentle Shepherd. Jesus will hear 
you and reward your desire, and make you a great 
soul-winner. So if you would bring things to pass, 
lead men to the cross and help them to glory, be a 
great pray-er, an honest pray-er, a sincere pray-er, a 
pray-er that goes down beneath the surface of things 
and finds the rioh treasures that deep spirituality 
contains. 

Another way by which we may win souls is by 
speaking to them about their salvation, telling them 
of the "old, old story of Jesus and His love," and per- 
suading them to repent and give their hearts to God. 
A word sometimes is all we need to lead someone to 
Christ. For *'A word fitly spoken is like apples of 
gold in pictures of silver." A little encouragement, 
a little warning, a little persuasion quite often 
"saves a soul from death." 

*Tlead with them earnestly, 
Plead with them gently; 
He will forgive if they only believe." 

"A word spoken in due season, how good it 
is," so says the old Book. Numbers have been won 
to Christ in this way. If your father or mother, 
brother or sister, or your children, or your friends 
and neighbors are unsaved, speak to them about 
their souls. Let them know you are interested. 
Lead them into the "way eternal," the beautiful way 
of life and peace and joy forever. Perhaps only a 



92 Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

few words, intermingled with your ardent prayers, 
will suffice. But if by many words and much per- 
suasion you can lead them to Jesus it is work and 
effort well spent and never lost. It pleases God, and 
God rewards it. "Therefore knowing the terror of 
the Lord we persuade men.'' 

The author was once carrying a burden of sin 
and a heavy and broken heart, when a good man, 
whom he had learned to love, honor and reverence as 
a child of the heavenly King, approached him and 
said: "Walter, I have been aiming to speak to you 
for sometime about your soul. Are you a Christ 
tian?'' "No," I replied, "but I want to be." We had 
a sweet conversation together on this important mat- 
ter. He encouraged me to give my heart to God. 
Soon I went upon my knees in repentance, and after 
a hard struggle, prayed through, wept through, ago- 
nized through to victory, — a saved boy. When I met 
him again it was with pleasure that I told him of 
my conversion. I had been saved, and partially be- 
cause he spoke to me and encouraged me to accept 
Christ as my Savior. It was time well spent and 
words well spoken. "Let him know, that he which 
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall 
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude 
of sins." James 5 :20. 

Again, souls may be won by weeping over them. 
The Christian's tears shed over the sinner are often 
very effective in leading him to "the Lamb of God 
which taketh away the sin of the world." It breaks 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 93 

up his hard, stony heart quite often as nothing else 
can do. 

Singing in the spirit of the Lord bears fruit like^ 
wise in "bringing in the sheaves," and if He would 
use you, dear reader, in any of the ways I have men- 
tioned, be submissive to His will and yours will be a 
life not spent in vain, and heaven will be awaiting 
you as a rich and eternal reward. Whatever you can 
do, whatever means you can use and plans you can 
form to win a soul for Jesus, never hesitate to do. 
''Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy 
might," always remembering that *'He that winneth 
souls is wise." 



CHAPTER X. 

WORKING FOR THE MASTER. 

One beautiful and lovely day in Autumn, not long 
after I had entered the ministry, I visited a sick 
lady. It was then, and is still, my custom to sing a 
song, read a chapter from the Bible, and have prayer 
with the sick. Therefore, after having talked for 
some time, I proceeded with my devotional exercises, 
feeling that I was doing the Master's service, and 
realizing a certain degree of happiness in so doing. 
After the minutes of devotion were pas'sed, and a 
hearty ''good bye'' was said, I took my departure, 
feeling that my visit had not been in vain, and be- 
lieving that I had carried a ray of sunshine at least 
iiitc the home to cheer and gladden the sick, in the 
name and for the sake of the Master. 

Some few days had gone by when I was to pass 
that way again. However, during the interval I had 
learned or heard some very unpleasant things con- 
nected with the life of the sick lady's husband. I 
was told that he was not a Christian and did not 
have much respect for Christians, and perhaps w0uld 
not appreciate a visit from me to his home again. 
At the time of my first visit he was away ; and this 
time, knowing that he had returned, and believing it 
highly improbable that my presence would be unde- 
sirable by him, judging from what I had heard, not 

94 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 95 

that I thought he had aught against me, as we had 
met some few times and he showed courtesy toward 
me, I paused to think and decide what course to pur- 
sue. I tried to believe and persuade myself it would 
be best to pass on. And to please myself this cer- 
tainly would have been my choice. But something 
seemed to impress it upon me to visit the home 
again. The more I tried to believe that i>assing on 
would be best, the stronger the impression was made 
upon me to stop. It was a moment when something 
must be done. 

I knew that the Bible says that "Pure religion, 
and undefiled before God and the Father is this : To 
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, 
and to keep himiself unspotted from the world.'* And 
Christ said: "I was sick, and ye visited me." He 
goes on to explain it, saying, * 'Inasmuch as ye have 
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 
ye have done it unto me." Again He says: "I was 
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not . . . Inas- 
mudh as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye 
did it not to me. And these shall go aw^y into ever- 
lasting punishment: but the righteous into life eter- 
nal." 

Therefore I resolved to visit the sick lady again, 
and lifted my heart to God in earnest prayer, asking 
Him to go with me. Then putting the cross of 
Christ in front, and hiding, as it were, behind the 
cross I made my way to the door. Jesus was with 
me ; He was in my soul ; He stayed with me all the 



96 Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

time. For He has said that He will never leave us 
nor forsake us. Praise His name forever! 

Meekly and gently I approached and greeted the 
husband, who was then in the house, with a cheerful 
and pleasant "Good morning." In response he spoke 
kindly and invited me into his home. After some in- 
quiry as to the welfare of the family and the sick 
wife, I began a conversation with the husband. We 
talked very pleasantly together for a while, he treat- 
ing me with all the kindness and courtesy neces- 
sary to make me feel welcome and pleasant in his 
presence and his home. After passing several de- 
lightful minutes in conversation I asked permiMon 
to sing a song and have prayer, which he very readi- 
ly and willingly granted. 

Soon I started the old, but sweet song, "Pass Me 
Not." 

*Tass me not, gentle Savior, 
Hear my humble cry ; 

While on others Thou art calling, 
Do not pass me by. 

CHORUS. 
"Savior, Savior, 

Hear my humble cry; 
While on others Thou art calling, 

Do not pass me by." 

I siang the song through. Jesus was with me. I 
sang in the Spirit. Not only was I singing, I was 
praying. The song itself was my prayer. Soon I 



Life'g Beautiful Way Heavenward, 97 

looked at Mr. , and the tears were flowing 

from his eyes and running down his cheeks. I 
thought, Praise God, the victory is won ! the victory 
is won 1 Jesus has triumphed ! 

I finished the song in a rejoicing spirit and a 
triumph of heavenly glory, after which I read and 
prayed. I prayed for the sick lady and her 
daughter who was also unwell. Then I turned my 
prayer in behalf of the husband and father, who I 
thought only a short time before was a wretched and 
almost heartless sinner. My prayer reached heaven. 
Jesus listened, heard and answered. The man cried 
and sobbed, and I have no right to doubt but that he 
prayed. After prayer he told me he was once a 
Christian, but had grown cold and drifted backward 
into the world again. He said he desired to become 
a Christian again, and I believe he meant it. He, 
like David, wanted God to restore unto him the joy 
of His salvation. As I bade the family farewell, I 
asked him to meet me in heaven, which, I believe he 
promised to do. 

Oh, it was a glorious day! I was working for 
the Master. When I left the home it seemed tha|; 
everything was so beautiful, and I was so happy. 
The charming tints of Autumn, — red, crimson, and 
gold, — were fairer than ever before. The hills and 
mountains seemed to have put on a grandeur and 
picturesqueness that was more charming than it was 
only a short while ago. The streamlets, as they 
went trickling and crooking by, seemed to be rejoic- 



98 Life*g Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

ing and praising the Lord. The sky seemed bluer 
and prettier, and the sun shone brighter. The wild 
flowers were lovelier and more fragrant, and the 
birds sang sweeter. It was a delightful season in my 
life, my soul. I had been working for the Master, 
and He was giving me "joy unspeakable and full of 
glory." Praise His holy name ! Old Satan tried to 
cheat me out of a blessing by persuading me to post- 
pone my visit and fail to do what the Master said. 
But when the Holy Spirit said "go," I was obedient. 
Hence He gave a blessing both to the home and to 
me, and one that I shall never forget. This little in- 
cident is pleasant to my memory, and has given me 
strength and courage to press on the "upward way" 
in life. It was a trial that made me a stronger and 
better Ohristian, and more desirous to work for the 
Masiter and sustain His cause in the world. I want 
to be a hero for Him every day, and rally around His 
blood stained, though honorable and glorious ban- 
ner. 

Sometimes the work of the Master lies in difficult 
fields and rugged places. Sometimes in order to 
follow Him we have to go to the d'es'ert with Him to 
seek for and to find the lost and wandering sheep, 
that is "sick and helpless, and ready to die." Some- 
times we have to pass through the Red Sea, or jour- 
ney through the wilderness, or travel under a dark 
and lurid cloud. Sometimes we have to make great 
sacrifices and do hard work. Yet, amid it all, the 
Master blesses us, and still watdhes over and cares 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 99 

for us. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round 
about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 
taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the 
man that trusteth in him." 

Sometimes, in order to do the Master's work, we 
have to leave the dear old home, and father and 
mother, and sister, loved ones and friends, and go 
out into the cold and sinful world to win the lost, or 
bring them to the Master. Christ Jesus said: "He 
that loveth father or mother more than me is not 
worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter 
more than me is not worthy of me. And he that 
taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not 
worthy of me." Therefore we have much to give up 
many times before we can go where He wants us to 
go, do what He wants us to do, and be what He 
wants us to be. However, He always gives us more 
in return than we have to sacrifice or give up. Abra- 
ham was ready to sacrifice his own beloved son Isaac 
on the altar if it pleased God and were His will, 
therefore Abraham had his son restored and receiv- 
ed other blessings. He was willing to do the Mas- 
ter's will, even if it cost him the life of his son. God 
was with Abraham, blessed him abundantly, and his 
seed after him, because he did the Master's will and 
work. 

Sometimes, in order to follow the Master, we 
must walk "through the valley of the shadow of 
death." But even then we "fear no evil," because 
the blessed Christ is with us, and His presence is s/o 



100 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

comforting. We can, if necessary, afford to die for 
Him because He died for us, and has a place pre- 
pared for us in heaven when our earthly career is 
ended. For all the trials, temptations, persecutions, 
sorrow, pains, sufferings, crisis and ordeals through 
which we must pass ere the Golden Gate is reached, 
he says : "My grace is sufficient for thee." Glory to 
His name forever ! Again He says : (and glorious is 
the promise!) "Lo, I am vdth you alway, even unto 
the end of the world." 

Then let us say with the poet, "Where He leads 
me I will follow ; Til go with Him all the way." And 
looking up into His loving face let us say, smilingly, 
"Thy will be done," and meekly and courageously set 
forth to follow Him "All the rugged way" to Cal- 
vary and to glory. Amen ! 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE BLESSEDNESS OF WEEPING. 

Weeping aver one's sins and mistakes and short- 
comings is most blessed. It mellows the heart and 
fits the soul for better and grander things, in that it 
shows a godly sorrow which "worketh repentance to 
salvation." I believe that penitential tears which 
show that the inmost soul is stirred with sorrow, 
move the great compassionate heart of God who is 
love, and that He in pity looks upon the mournful 
penitent, and then cleanses his heart from sin and 
grants him pardon, saying: "Go and sin no more." 
When David had sinned I have no doubt but that 
he wept bitterly when he said: ''Create in me a 
clean heart, God, and renew a right spirit within 
me !" Although he had done very wrong indeed, yet 
it moved the loving heart of God. He looked in pity 
and mercy upon him, seeing his deep and thorough 
penitence, and no doubt whispered peace to his trou- 
bled souL 

Weeping reveals tender heartedness which is a 
blessed characteristic, for the Lord wants a tender 
hearted people. Doubtless very few manifestations 
of sorrow so arouse one's pity and sympathy, and 
stirs the human heart, as weeping. Quite often it 
touches the most hardhearted as nothing else can do. 
No doubt but that weeping over the sinner has caus^ 

101 



102 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

ed many to be saved, thus making themi noble men 
and women, and better citizens to live with, and has 
enabled them to reach heaven. Then is it not most 
blessed ? 

I shall never forget a scene I once witnessed in a 
revival meeting. A dear old man was there who was 
very hardhearted, sinful and impenitent; and when 
the altar call was given a good woman fell at his 
knees with the tears streaming from her face and 
began praying for him. Perhaps he had never be- 
fore in life been so moved, for he cried and trembled, 
and before the meeting closed gave his heart to God 
and was gloriously saved. Oh, it was a wonderful 
sight to see him saved and made so happy, and all 
because a noble Christian's heart wasi overflowing 
with love and anxiety and sorrow for him! Those 
tears and prayers were more than his strong and 
stubborn heart could resist, hence he yielded to the 
Holy Spirit and was redeemed by the blood of Je- 
sus. Glory to God forever ! 

Tears that are shed for a good purpose are not 
lost. They never escape the all-seeing eye of God. 
He beholds them and sends a reward in some way or 
other. If in no other way the Holy Comforter sends 
sweet peace to cheer and gladden the heart and dry 
the tears and make the eyes sparkle wuth a heavenly 
lustre, and the countenance shine with a splendor 
that is celestial. After the storm clouds pass away 
always comes the beautiful sunshine glittering and 
gleaming upon the earth, and things look brighter 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 103 

and fresher and lovelier than before. Thus it is with 
the weeping soul, when the clouds and storms pass 
away heavenly sunlight floods every chamber of the 
heart and we are made so happy that we forget that 
a storm and cloud have been on, that we have been 
weeping. But the tears we have spilled are more 
precious in the sight of God than jewels and dia- 
monds. 

Some think that it is weakness to weep. But not 
so. If it were Christ would be weak, for we remem- 
ber He wept over Jerusalem because of its wicked- 
ness, saying: ''0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that 
killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent 
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy chil- 
dren together, even as a hen gathered her chickens 
under her wings, AND YE WOULD NOT." Again, 
we remember that He wept at the grave of Lazarus'. 
His loving and sympathetic heart was so touched 
when He saw Mary and Martha weeping over their 
beloved brother, and who also was a warm friend of 
Jesus, that "Jesus wept." Oh, the sympathy He 
manifested — how great! Here He set an example 
that shall last forever. He entered into their sorrow 
so much that He even wept with them. And so it is 
for UB to so sympathize vdth the sorrowing that we 
can weep with them. This is Scriptural: "Rejoice 
with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that 
weep." 

Yet, people of today will almost, and perhaps do, 
8oom the idea of weeping, when it is nothing less 



104 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

than Christlike. Whatever Jesus did we should not 
be ashamed to do. The examples' that Jesus set we 
should not be ashamed to follow and take pattern 
after. If we can be like Him, even if the world does 
not approve of it, we should feel happy and be con- 
strained to rejoice with exceeding great joy. The 
most unpopular thing many times in the sight of 
man is the most blessed in the sight of God. What- 
ever Jesus did we should not feel loath, but very 
happy, to do. Where He leads we should be willing 
to follow. I had rather be like my Master if all the 
world is against me than to be like the world with 
its eulogies and high applauses in my behalf, and yet 
be displeasing to Christ my Lord and my Redeemer. 
There is no dishonor in weeping. Rather it is 
honorable and glorious, else Jesus would have done a 
dishonorable thing. Great and powerful men have 
wept and no dishonor was attached to it. Rather it 
showed the nobility and might of their great hearts, 
— how Christlike they were. Those who have been 
the most powerful and influential men andl women 
in the world were men and women of great, loving, 
sympathetic, tender hearts, and many times with 
weeping eyes. Those who have been most beneficial 
to the world and who have adorned the world by 
their ideal lives have wept their way to the cross, 
and afterwards wept as they labored for the Lord 
Jesus Christ in His harvest fields over the lost sin- 
ner. The Psalmist tells us : "He that goeth forth and 
weiepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless' come 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 105 

again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with 
him." 

The most powerful soul-winners that I have ever 
seen were those who go out and weep over the sin- 
ner, bringing him to Jesus. I know a good sister 
who, when she goes out among sinners, goes weep- 
ing, and she hardly ever fails to bring somebody to 
the altar and to the "Lamb of God which taketh 
away the sin of the world.'* We scarcely ever see a 
personal worker who is more successful than she. 
Her's is a beautiful life in Christ, and like Him she 
weeps over the sinner. How much her tears are 
worth, only Jesus Himself knows, but undoubtedly 
they are beyond any price. 

The most powerful sermon I ever heard was par- 
tially preached with tears flowing from the preach- 
er's eyes. In that large congregation stout-hearted 
men wept like children. His tears helped him to 
preach louder, stronger, more elTective and bene- 
ficial sermons than words. God give us tears, more 
tears, that we may shed them over a sin-cursed 
world ! 

The prophet Jeremiaih said: "Oh, that my head 
were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that 
I might weep day and night for the slain of the 
daughter of my people!" Jeremiah was a weeping 
man. He wept for an honorable cause, and no doubt 
in so doing advanced that cause beyond what he 
would have done if he had been without tears, had 
been dry eyed. There is a power in tears, — a great- 



106 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

er power than there is in words very often. And if 
our secret power lies in our tears, why not spill them 
for Jesus' sake, and for His glory? A Christian's 
tears, intermingled with his prayers and his words, 
will work wonders in winning souls for the blessed 
Christ, and building up His kingdom among men. 



CHAPTER XII. 

A PURE HEART. 

Dear Reader, I want to talk for a little wlhile 
about the most important thing in the world, and 
that is a pure heart. We remember that our blessed 
Lord, in His wonderful sermon on the mount said: 
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they ishall see 
God." He didn't say that any but the pure in heart 
would ever see Gk)d. Therefore we have good 
grounds to believe that a pure heart is the most im- 
portant and should be the most desirable of all 
things. We should long and hunger for it and never 
feel ourselves satisfied until we are in possession of 
it. Realizing the fact that nothing but purity of 
heart will stand the test of judgment and enable us 
to press through the pearly portals of glory, why 
should we not spend our lives here seeking for the 
things that will make us pure in heart and holy? 

There is much said in the Bible about the heart. 
The wisest man of all ages, Solomon, viewing the 
heart of man, as it were, uttered or wrote these won* 
derf ul words : ''Keep thy heart with all diligence ; 
for out of it are the issues of life." Prov. 4 :23. So 
we see that it is for us to keep our heart with "dili- 
gence" — keep it carefully, guard it closely that noth- 
ing unclean and impure be allowed to spring up, take 
root and grow. For whatever we regard in the 

107 



108 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

heart — in other words, whatever we are at heart — 
is what we are in life. If goodness and purity is 
there we are good and pure ; if evil and wickedness 
is there we are evil and wicked. And day after day 
we should, by the grace and help of Jesus Christ, ex- 
amine our heart to see that nothing is allowed to 
spring up and grow that is wrong, that displeases 
our heavenly Father and would hinder us from hav- 
ing free and full access to His throne of grace. We 
should keep our heart cleansed. We shouldi look into 
the secret chambers and see that they are clean and 
pure and healthy with the love of God and filled with 
righteousness. 

We should always remember that Grod is looking 
at our heart. He searches out every part, every 
principle, every thought of the heart and knows us 
by what He finds there. When God wants to know 
just what a man is He looks at the heart to see and 
tell, and there He always finds our real and true 
selves, our lives. The Bible tells us that "man look- 
eth on the outward appearance, but the Lord look- 
eth on the heart." If the Lord finds ISie heart pure, 
the man is all right ; but if He finds the heart all evil 
and impure, the man is all wrong. 

A man may clothe himself in the most beautiful 
and costly apparel and appear to the world to be 
very handsome and noble and grand, yet if he has a 
wicked heart he appears to God as a vile wretch who 
will be condemned at the great Judgment Day unless 
he has his heart cleansed and made right while liv- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 109 

ing. And again, a man may be clothed very poorly 
and shabby, may be very ragged and make a very 
unsightly appearance before the world, yet if his 
heart is clean and pure and right in the sight of God 
he stands ready for heaven and immortal glory, and 
passes in before the man of gay and fine apparel. 
God looks on the heart, rewards a man according to 
what He finds in his heart and as his works have 
been and pays little or perhaps no attention to the 
outward appearance. 

So the heart should be pure above all things. 
There is nothing else of such vital importance. We 
should worship and serve God cut of a pure heart 
frevently, day by day. No iniquity must be har- 
bored there. It poisons and embitters life, causing; 
it to dwarf and stint and die. The Psalmist said: 
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 
hear me." We can't get audience with God if ini- 
quity is regarded or cherished in the heart. Then 
give me a pure heart above all things else, for with 
it I can stand a noble and worthy pilgrim at the 
Golden Gate ready to be received into the heavenly 
host about the throne of God. 

Give us pure hearts, God, pure hearts I 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A BEAUTIFUL LIFE. 

There is nothing so beautiful as a beautiful life. 
It is fairer than the lily of the valley, and more 
graceful than the sweetest rose that ever grew. It 
is the only beauty that never fades as the years and 
ages of time pass on. It is more glorious than any 
other beauty, and more to be desired than silver and 
gold, "yea than much fine gold." Even after life is 
past and man goes to his "long home" the beauty and 
value of that life lives on. It never dies. It in- 
fluences and enriches the lives of generations an- 
bom, and helps to enshrine about them a halo of 
glory, until men call them blessed. 

But what is this beautiful life? What goes to 
compose or make it? Well, many noble traits and 
characteristics. But first and foremost, Jesus must 
be in the life before it is a paragon of beauty and ex- 
cellency, then the various other traits of character 
flow in to mjake it grand and august. 

In the first place, then, one must be a real Chris- 
tian to be beautiful. He must be Christlike. Jesus 
must rule and reign supreme in his heart, mind, life, 
spirit. No life is like the Christian life in both 
beauty and excellency and beneficence. 

A beautiful life is an honest life — honest with 
one's self, his fellowman and his God. No life is 

110 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. Ill 

beautiful if it is dishonest. A beautiful life is an 
humble life like that of Jesus. God gives grace to 
the humble. A beautiful life is a meek life. Jesus 
said: ''Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit 
the earth." A beautiful life is a truthful life — ^a life 
in which no falsehood is allowed. A beautiful life is 
a kind life. The kind person always wins his way in 
the world and into the hearts of his fellowmen and 
never fails to have a host of friends w^ho love him. 
Paul said : *'Be ye kind one to another." A beautiful 
life is a merciful life. Jesus said in his sermon on 
the Mount : ''Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall 
obtain mercy." "If ye forgive men their trespasses, 
your heavenly Father will also forgive you ; but if ye 
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
Father forgive your trespasses." 

Well, praise the Lord! Let us see how many 
more beautiful things we see in a beautiful life. An 
unselfish life is a beautiful life. Selfishness is never 
beautiful. A beautiful life is a liberal life, an open- 
hearted life. The Bible tells us that "it is more 
blessed to give than to receive." A beautiful life is 
a mannerly life. A beautiful life is a watchful life. 
Jesus said: "What I say unto you I say unto all, 
WATCH." Watch your deeds, actions, manners, 
conduct. A beautiful life is a careful, cautious life, 
seeing that we do not stray in forbidden paths, that 
we do not touch and handle the thing that i& un- 
clean, that we guard our tongue so that we may not 
speak any evil words and keep all our passions un- 



112 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

der subjection and live in accordance to the will of 
Christ our Lord. A beautiful life is a beneficial life, 
a helpful life. We are to help each other bear our 
burdens and carry our crosses. A beautiful life is a 
life that bears the cross of the Lord Jesus patiently 
and uncomplainingly. A beautiful life is a very 
prayerful life — spraying evermore and v^ithout ceas- 
ing. Praying deep, earnest, spiritual prayers. A 
beautiful life is a consecrated life, — consecrated 
v^holly, soul and body, time and talent, influence and 
intellect, possession and all to Jesus. Laying every- 
thing down in order to follow Him, giving up all to 
be His child. A beautiful life is a simple life, noth- 
ing assumed for a show, no put on, no unnecessary 
and unnatural habits, no society manners and world- 
ly fashion. To be natural, perfectly natural, one's 
self, is most becoming. A beautiful life is a life of 
love, — love for God and man. A beautiful life is a 
patient life, being not weary in well doing and bear- 
ing everything patiently, and calmly and with self- 
possession, rejoicing in persecutions and being "ex- 
ceedingly glad." A beautiful life is a persevering 
life, always continuing in the right and never giving 
over to wrong, even if there is much against us. A 
beautiful life is a solid, firm, unwavering life. A 
beautiful life is a righteous life. Jesus said : "Blessed 
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
for they shall be filled." Nothing is more beautiful. 
A beautiful life is a pure life. The Bible tells us: 
"Keep thyself pure." And Jesus said, "Blessed are 



Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 113 

the pure in heart, for they shall see God." A beauti- 
ful life is a holy life. God says: *'Be ye holy, for I 
am holy." 

Glory to God! A beautiful life is a sinless life 
with a soul that is as white as snow. Oh, dear read- 
er, let us live it for Jesus' sake. LET US LIVE IT. 

Blevssed Jesus, help us, enable us, to live this 
beautiful life forever until we are glorified in Thy 
heavenly kingdom where we will shine not only 
beautifully, but marvelously. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

"THE LIFE THAT COUNTS/' 

It should be the aim of everj^one to live a life 
that counts. A desire to reach the highest and best 
in life ought to be the choice we make. To aim for 
less is within itself an evil. We can only measure 
up to the fullest and best of life by aiming, working 
and striving to that end ; and God requires it of us. 
No man will ever be complete in manliness, man- 
hood, honesty, righteousness and Christianity who 
doeis not labor and make himself so. We cannot fold 
our arms and drift into a life that counts for some- 
thing worth while. We must work ourselves into 
such a life, by the help and grace of God. 

The man who does not try to make of himself a 
real man will never make one. God will never make 
a man of him if he does not want to be nor tries to 
be one. Someone has said: "God helps those wno 
help themselves." This is true. But God will not 
do for us the things we can do for ourselves. The 
lazy do-nothing man is the worthless amount-to- 
nothing man. If we depend on God making real and 
great men of us while we do nothing toward help- 
ing Him to accomplish it we will die still depend- 
ing, and our expectations blasted, and defeat mark- 
ing our career and resting-place. Hence the object 
is to work and live as though our success depends 

114 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 115 

upon us alone, and God will do His part if we, in the 
mieantime, lean on His "everlasting arms," and al- 
ways keep near Him and keep His cross in view. If 
we will do our part, God will always do His. If we 
work in harmony with Him, He will enable us to live 
such a life that we will bless the world, and leave a 
blessing behind that will live after us. 

Today the call is for a higher life, (not a self- 
exalted one). Opportunities are great and are 
blooming all about us, and it is for us to avail our- 
selves of them and "mount up." This is no time for 
our staying in the vale of darkness when the light is 
for us to travel in that will lead us triumphantly out. 
The time for enlightenment is here, and the time for 
ignorance is pai^sing. Thank God ! He doesn't want 
us to remain ignoramuses. That day has passed, 
and the excuse for it has passed. Educational ad- 
vantages are great, and we have but to utilize them. 
The excuses of primitive days, mth their many er- 
rors, Which our forefathers had, and which were not 
without a foundation, are no more. And with this 
new era comes new responsibilities ; and to live a life 
that counts amid all the present openings' and the 
possibilities of life means much. 

Really, what is the life that counts? Is it gain- 
ing wealth, education and fame that counts so much 
after all, and that makes life worth while? No; it 
is the life that is of benefit to others. It is the life 
that shines anywhere and everywhere. It is the life 
that dispels gloom and brings in sunshine. It is the 



116 Life* 9 Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

life that is filled with love and helps to fill others, 
too. It is the life that gives off goodness and inspi- 
ration to others, as well as it receives isuch. It is the 
life that is putting something into the treasury of 
knowledge as well as taking it out. It is the life that 
gives more than it receives. It is the life that is not 
willing to feast off the good, rich and valuable things 
of the world without giving something in return. It 
is the life that wants to leave the world better than 
it found it, and strives to that end. It is the life 
that wants to give more peace, happiness and pleas- 
ure than sorrow ; more love than hatred ; more good 
than evil ; and scatter more sunshine along the way 
than gloom. It is the life that is sweet and sunny, 
and is being spent every day for the blessed Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is the life that is being spent for 
the cause that is honorable and glorious, and for 
heaven, and that is helping others to live for heaven. 
It is the life of golden deeds and helpfulness, — this, 
and many other things go to make up "the life that 
counts.*' 

It is a glorious and blessed thing to live a life of 
goodness, — ^one that is not a failure. Such a life 
should be begun very early, even from the cradle, by 
the good examples of parents. Some writer has said : 

"Grandly begin ! though thou have time 
For but one deed ; be that sublime. 
Not failure, but low aim, is crime." 

We cannot begin a good life, one that counts for 



Life*8 Beautiful Way Heavenward, 117 

something worth while, too early. The sooner, the 
better. There is no use of drifting out into the sin- 
polluted world and into forbidden channels before 
we begin a life that is honorable and beneficial. I 
am not in sympathy with the idea of first going wild 
and sowing evil seed before we sow to the Spirit. 
But the best and wisest plan is to begin right early 
in life and continue on "in paths of righteousness." 
Then we will make men and women of honor, and 
God will get glory out of our lives. 

We should not be contented with merely exist- 
ing. To be content with being nothing is a sin. It 
is not the will of Gk)d. It is too low for us, and we 
should deem it beneath our life. We should rise 
higher and improve the talents God has blessed us 
with. We should say, *'My aim is to live a life that 
counts ; and if I fail, I will fail honestly, endeavoring 
to live such a life." There is no dishonor in an hon- 
est failure. The poet says, "Not failure, but low aim 
is crime." So I had rather fail trying to accomplish 
than fail by simply doing nothing. 

Following is a beautiful little poem which I 
clipped from one of our church papers that has a 
good lesson for us if we will heed it : — 

"THE LIFE THAT COUNTS." 

"The life that counts must toil and fight ; 
Must hate the wrong and love the right ; 
Must stand for truth by day, by nig^ht ; 
This is the life that counts. 



118 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

"The life that counts must aim to rise 
Above the earth to sunlit skies; 
Must fix his ^aze on Paradise — 
That is the life that counts. 

*The life that counts must hopeful be ; 
In darkest night make melody; 
Must wait the dawn on bended knee — 
That is the life that counts. 

"The life that counts must helpful be ; 
The cares and needs of others see ; 
Must seek the slave of sin to free — 
That is the life that counts. 

"The life that counts is linked with Gk)d; 

And turns not from the cross — ^the rod; 

But walks with joy where Jesus trod^ — 

That is the life that counts.'' 



CHAPTER XV. 

CHRISTIAN STEADFASTNESS. 

What we need today is steadfast Christians, — 
Christians who are unwavering. No wonder the 
world is in such a sinful condition when so many- 
people who claim to be Christians are nothing less 
than traitors to the cause of God. The church is to 
blame for so much wickedness. When it comes to 
the sad and awful fact that her members, many of 
them, have sold out to sin and are representing the 
cause of Satan more than the cause of God, do you 
tell me she is blameless? If every church member 
would be sound and solid from bottom to top in ev- 
ery respect for the Lord Jesus Christ the cause 
would not suffer violence half like it is, and sinners 
would be flocking into the kingdom. "The old ship 
of Zion" would move into the port of glory, laden 
with a cargo of immortal souls, and our Father in 
heaven would be glorified more in the meantime. 
Every church member ought to make sure that they 
are not a hindrance to the cause, but instead they 
ought to be a help and a benefit to it ; and unless 
they are they are falling far short of duty. But if 
there are those who belong to the church of God, or 
rather have their names on the church records, and 
are doing the cause which they are supposed to up- 
hold and sustain an injury and an injustice, they 

119 



120 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

should have manhood and womanhood enough to 
step aside and get out of the way if they don't aim 
and don't mean to live and do better. This slack, 
looise, indifferent, wavering religion, (FU not call it 
Christianity) I have no use for it. It is not fit for 
this world nor for the world to come. Christianity 
that doesn't make better men and women is not 
Christianity. There is no Christlikeness in it. It is 
not of God ; for to be of Him means to be good, up- 
right, pure and holy. God would have a people who 
are firm and unwavering, — ^who are "building on 
the Rock of Ages." Paul tells us, "Let us hold fast 
the profession of our faith without wavering." Life 
is too short and precious, and eternity is too long for 
us to be wavering, — going from good to evil and 
partaking of the sins we are environed with. It is 
for us to abstain from all evil, and even the appear- 
ance of it. The farther we can get from sin, the 
better it is for us and the better it should suit us. 
The nearer we can get to God and goodness and 
right, the better we should be satisfied, knowing that 
it is this which pleases Him. 

The person who can't go through the world with 
his head up, but is sneaking around with a hung- 
down head and a down-cast look because he is in- 
dulging in the sins of the world, is not fit to belong 
to the church of the living God. He is only a hin- 
drance to the cause and to the progress of the 
church. He is a stumbling-block over which the 
world is stumbling and blundering into hell. Oh, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 121 

think of it ! The person who does not live above wil- 
ful sin or transgression, but is doing what he knows 
is sinful and mean, and what displeases God, can't 
afford to call himself a Christian. This is just oppo- 
site Christianity. He is merely a smutty sinner. 

The Bible tells us : *'He that committeth sin is of 
the devil." It doesn't say whether he belongs to the 
church or not. In fact, it makes no difference. Sin 
is sin. A sinner is a sinner, whether he be a church 
member or not. And if he is a church member and 
a sinner, he is the worst of sinners. Oh, church 
of God, arise, shine! Men and women, don't have 
your lives darkened, smutted and blurred with evil, 
but keep clean, both inwardly and outwardly. Be 
what you claim to be. 

My advice to all is be firm for God andumvaver- 
ing. Don't yield to temptation, "for yielding is sin," 
as someone has truly said. BE DETERMINED TO 
STAND FOR TRUTH AND RIGHT. BE A BRAVE 
AND BOLD HERO, AND NOT A WAVERING, 
SUBMITTING, TIMID COWARD. Don't be a "so- 
called" Christian, but a Christian real and genuine, 
— one that is worthy the name, — or claim to be noth- 
ing but a sinner. Don't try to fool the world by 
lying. You can't lie your way to heaven, but you 
can lie your way to hell. There are so-called Chris- 
tians in hell. They could not fool God. And I imag- 
ine a so-called Christian's hell is mighty deep and 
hot, and my advice to you is not to go there. But 
live for Jesus, follow Him, and you will go to a much 



122 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

better, brighter and more pleasant place, namely 
heaven. 

It is good to be solid and firm enough for God to 
answer "no" when we are tempted to do the wrong. 
I like to see people who have backbone and "grit and 
grace" enough to give a positive "no" When someone 
asks or entices them to do the wrong. "If sinners 
entice thee, consent thou not," is Bible. Don't be 
afraid of insulting somebody by absolutely refusing 
to partake of his sins and evils When he entices you. 
Remember he is not your friend or he wouldn't want 
to get you into trouble. If he gets mad at you, let 
him get mad. It won't hurt you. This shows that 
he is not your friend or he wouldn't get mad. How- 
ever, if you refuse to yield to his temptations, the 
probability is he will think more of you and honor 
you more than if you yielded. Nearly everybody re- 
spects and admires those who take a bold and firm 
stand for the right. Then never be a coward. 
There is no honor in cowardice. The cowardly 
Christian is never a good example of Christianity, 
and never rises high. But the Christian who is 
strong and unwavering in his steadfastness is the 
one who represents the cause of Christ well, and 
who He will call home to glory some bright day. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

''THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD." 

It means muidh to say with the Ps'almist: "The 
Lord is my Shepherd." If He indeed is our Shep- 
herd, — if we have made Him so, — ^we are the most 
wonderfully blest people in the world. Nothing can 
be better. We stand higher than kings and princes 
and the nobles of earth if they know not God, or 
have not made Him their Shepherd. We have a 
Leader who will never fail us; a "Wayshower," as 
He has been called, who never loses the way, even 
if it leads througli dark, dreary and lonely places, 
or ''beside the still waters" and' through the "green 
pastures." 

Christ never fails. He is the Shepherd who 
neither sleeps nor slumbers, but is ever watchful 
and mindful of His flock. Every minute, hour, and 
day He watches them as they journey on life's way. 
His all-seeing eye is ever upon them, noticing their 
steps and journeyings, lest they stray into forbid- 
den paths, fall into snares, thus endangering their 
lives. He leads, He guides. He shields. He protects, 
He guards. He counsels. He commands and He calls. 
His sheep know His voice and follow Him. Praise 
His name ! He is the truest, best and wisest Shep- 
herd in all the world. None can equal Him. None 
love their flock as He does, nor value them so high- 

123 



124 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

ly, nor sacrifice so much for tihem. He even died for 
us, hence the great love of our Shepherd that makes 
Him God the Father. To use Christ's own beautiful 
words : **I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd 

giveth his life for the sheep I am the good 

shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of 
mine. As the Father knoweth me, even sO' know I 
the Father : and I lay down my life for the sheep." 
Reader, that is you and me. Praise His holy name ! 
"The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall come nigh. 
In pastures of verdure He makes me to lie, 
Beside restful waters He leads me in peatie, 
My soul to new life He restores by His grace." 

No wonder the Psalmist could say : "The Lord is 
my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to 
lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the 
still waters. He restoreth my soul : He leadeth me in 
the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shad- 
ow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with 
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou 
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup 
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall fol- 
low me all the days of my life : and I will dwell in 
the house of the Lord for ever." Psalm 23. 

It is true that "goodness and mercy" follow the 
true and faithful children of God all their life. Ev- 
erything that is good they receive or will receive. 
The Lord opens to them His treasure-house of good- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 125 

ness and pours out blessings' to them that are so rich 
and great that they are unable to contain them all. 
He is the Shepherd who knows how to bless, how 
to give for the best, how to take care of His flock. 
With His "rod" — His power — He stands the enemy 
off and clears the way for uis to follow on. And up- 
on His strong arm and His tender bosom the weak- 
lings and lambs find rest, so to speak, and refuge. 
The Psalmist says of Him: "He is my refuge and 
my fortress ; my God ; in him will I trust." 

It is so blessed, so peaceful, so delightful, so rest- 
ful, to trust in God and have Him as our Shepherd ! 
No hunger, no famishing of the soul; no want, no 
dread, no fear, comes to us. We feel and realize in 
our inmost life and soul that all is well, nothing 
wrong. We are fully and implicitly trusting in Him 
and He is able to supply and strong to deliver. His 
"rod" and His "staff" comfort us. We do not suffer 
a remorse of conscience nor have a burdened soul as 
we follow Him, dtay by day. At night we can lie 
down and sleep sweetly and rise in the morning re- 
freshed, because there is nothing to molest us, nor 
make restless our nights. "He giveth his beloved 
sleep." We feel that all is well, knowing that we 
have a bright and clear conscience in the sight of 
God. The way becomes more beautiful and pleasant 
as we journey on. The days are more balmy and 
happy, the breezes (breezes of love and grace) are 
more refreshing, the flowers are sweeter and more 
fragrant, and the sun shines more cheering and 



126 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

brighter. For, "The path of the just is as the shining 
light, that sihineth more and more unto the perfect 
day." 

A good woman and mother was passing out of 
this world, and while lingering on the shores or the 
brink of time to catch a few more mortal breaths ere 
the * 'silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
broken," — just waiting for Jesus to come, or send 
His angels' to bear her home to glory, — ^she said: 
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want," etc., 
until she had repeated the whole of this sweet and 
sunny little Psalm, which expres'sed her feelings^ no 
doubt, better than anything she could say in her own 
words. We believe she fell "safe in the arms of 
Jesus," her Shepherd, whom she had loved and 
served, and today is basking in the sunligiht of God's 
glory. 

Once, it is told, there was a little boy who was 
dying, and during his sickness someone tried to get 
him to accept and acknowledge the Lord as his Shep- 
herd. But he wouldn't, (he wanted to first be sure 
that God had saved him, which was right) until just 
before the end came he opened his heart to Christ 
and took Him as his Savior and Shepherd. Then he 
could say truly and honestly: "The Lord is my 
Shepherd." Especially did the little fellow delight 
to emphasize the word "my," making Jesus a per- 
sonal Savior and Shepherd. He would say: "The — 
Lord — is — MY — ^Shepherd." When he was silent in 
death they noticed that he had pressed one finger 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 127 

against the end of another, as he did while living, 
to lay emphasis on the word "MY." ''MY'' Shep- 
herd." 

Oh, praise the name of Immanuel, — "God with 
US'!" He is our Shep'herd' — your Shepherd and my 
Shepherd. How wonderfully sublime and blessed! 
Some bright day, when life's weary race is run, we 
shall look upon His face, — behold Him as He is in 
glory, — and say with all the redeemed and glorified 
in heaven, as we have said on earth : "The Lord is 
MY Shepherd," — my Shepherd forever. Glory ! Glo- 
ry ! All glory to God ! 



CHAPTER XVII. 

WHAT HAVE YOU GIVEN GOD? 

This is a question I want you to answer for your- 
self. Make it personal and say : **What have I given 
God?" Have you given Him anything? Have you 
done anything for His cause, and to help toward 
making the world better? Really, have you? Do 
you enjoy the health God gives you, and eat the food 
He provides, wear His raiment, breathe His air, 
drink His water, enjoy His sunshine and rain, use 
His time and the means He has placed within your 
reach, and never give Him anything in return? If 
so, you are doing radically wrong, for which you are 
responsible and shall have to give an account of and 
receive a reward for in eternity, unless you repent 
and do better. Or do you give such a little mite in 
order to excuse yourself that it is almost shameful ? 
This is often the case. The wealthy man'is i>enny or 
nickel or dime hides its puny little ®elf beneath the 
poor man's quarter or dollar. Why? Because the 
poor man loves God and His cause and makes a sac- 
rifice to help carry it on, while the wealthy man loves 
his money, loves his wealth, loves the world, and the 
love of God is not in him. Hen^e his little pittance 
for the cause of God, for which Jesus died, and 
which stands above everything on earth. 

So many people say they give the '^widow's 

128 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 129 

mite." But they don't do it. No sir, not by any 
means. What was her mite? It was all that she 
had, which was two mites. Jesus said: 'Tor all they 
did cast in of their abundance ; but she of her want 
did cast in all that she had, even all her living." 
(Mark 12:14). People out of their abundance say 
they give the widow's mite, but they don't. They 
may give in value as much or more than she gave, 
but they don't give all they have, as she did. So 
many don't give half, no, not the hundredth part of 
what they could and should for God's cause, and yet 
they try to excuse themselves and ease their con^ 
science thereby. They give their promise to Gk)d 
and spend their nickels and dimes for tobacco, can- 
dy, chewing gum., soda pop, ice cream, shows; thea- 
ters, pleasure rides, and spend their dollars for fine 
clothes, jewelry, eatables, etc., and spend their hun- 
dreds of dollars for fine automobiles, pianos, and 
home furnishings, and for fine houses and rich 
farms — but give their pitiful little pennies to God, 
and sometimes maybe to ease a guilty conscience 
that is lashing them they give a few dollars to the 
church or the preacher, or the orphanage, or the 
poor and suffering widows, and for foreign mis- 
sions, that the gospel may be preached to the heath- 
en. And many well-to-do folks don't even give God 
anything. They lay up their treasures here, have a 
big time on earth, with no treasures in heaven, and 
the Rich Man's hell awaiting them hereafter. The 
poor man gives liberally of his means, makes a sac- 



130 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

rifice of time, lays aside his work and serves and 
worships God and lays uip his treasures in heaven, as 
Jesus has said we should. (Matt. 6:19-20). Today 
it is the poor people principally that are carrying on 
God's work. We find them to be more liberal, and 
out of their poverty, giving more than the wealthy, 
in most instances, notwithstanding we find some 
men whom God has blessed with plenty giving back 
to Him His part. 

Now then, what is God's part? At least one- 
tenth of all we make belongs to God. When we give 
Him one-tenth, we only give Him His part, 
and out of the remaining nine-tenths it is 
good for a man to give. It won't do him any 
harm, and I believe God will bless him for it. This 
is the confidence I have in God, for He is able to bless 
abundantly, and even above what w^e ask or think. 
After all, every blessing, whether small or great, 
comes from Him. We have nothing in the way of a 
blessing only what He gives. The devil never blesses 
a man with anything in this world nor in the next, 
and yet men go on and serve the devil and spend 
God's means for him rather than serve God. They 
do the enemy's will, who only curses them, rather 
than God's will who blesses them, and who is also 
their best Friend. The song says : 

"There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, 
No, not one, no not one." 

But men suffer for their wrong doing. They 
reap what they sow, both in this world and the next. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenivard. 131 

The Bible is plain on it. When men live for and 
spend their time, talent, labor and means for the 
devil he rewards them. Be assured of this. And it 
is alv^ays a reward of sorrow and suffering, and in 
the end death, just that which no one wants. 'The 
wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23). 

We stated that at least the tenth belongs to God. 
For proof of this turn to Malachi 3:8-12. Especial- 
ly notice the tenth verse. "Bring ye all the tithes 
into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine 
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord 
of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall 
not be room enough to receive it." Now this is a 
command coupled with a promise. Have you tried 
it ? Have you heeded the command ? When you do 
your part God will do His. He v/ill bless you real 
good, temporally and spiritually. Try it and see. 
He says : "Prove me now," and that is done by heed- 
ing the command just given: "Bring ye all the 
tithes into the storehouse," which 'S the tenth of all 
your earnings given over to God. Now it is for you 
to obey and be blessed, or refuse and lose a blessing. 
I believe the reason so many people don't enjoy re- 
ligion and God's best is because they don't give Him 
His part. They keep it for their ov^m use, hence are 
lean in soul and poor in the things of this world too. 
Some folks are so stingy God can't bless them, and 
especially in their souls. They want everything and 
give nothing in return. Some folks are too selfish 



132 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

and stingy to get to heaven. They use God's means 
for their own comfort here, for their fleshly desires, 
and waste and "gobble'' them up and never divid'e 
and give God His part, hence no blessing for their 
soul awaits without repentance and a different 
course in life is pursued. 

Let us read some Scripture that may help us 
more on this subject. "Give, and it shall be given 
unto you ; good measure, pressed dov^m, and shaken 
together, and running over, shall men give into your 
bosomi. For with the same measure that ye mete 
withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 
6:38). "I have shewed you all things, how that so 
laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to re- 
member the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 
It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 
20 :35) . "But this I say, He Which soweth sparingly 
shall reap also sparingly ; and he v^hich soweth boun- 
tifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man ac- 
cording as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; 
not grudgingly, or of necessity : (because he has to) 
for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to 
make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always 
having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to 
every good work." (2 Cor. 9:6-8). "He that giveth 
unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his 
eyes shall have many a curse." (Prov. 28:27). "But 
whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother 
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion 
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 133 

(1 John 3:17). 'There is that scatt^reth, and yet 
mcreaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more than 
is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." (Prov. 11:24). 

Reader, what have you done for God? Have you 
repented of your sins and given Him your life? Are 
you giving Him His part of the means you have? Are 
you rendering Him any service? Are you dividing 
your time with Him, taking time to worship Him, 
time to pray to Him, time to go to church and help 
in the revivals to win souls, time to do good and 
help the poor ? I ask, are you ? If so, I'm sure you 
are enjoying God's blessings. Life to you is much 
happier than it would be if you were only living in 
sin and serving Satan. Does not God open to you 
the window^s of heaven and pour you out a blessing, 
and you feel happy in the meantime? But if you 
don't take time to go to church and worship Him 
"in spirit and in truth," and don't give to support 
His cause, and neglect the means of grace, I'm sure 
you don't enjoy Christianity. I've never seen any- 
one yet in this state of life who does. No, they 
can't. No one who is negligent and refuses to do 
His will, and make a sacrifice in order to do so, can 
enjoy religion and God's best. He won't give it to 
them. 

If a man only goes to church wlien he has no 
work to do, and only prays when he can't find some- 
thing else to employ his time with, and only gives 
when he doesn't need it, I doubt very muGh if God 
blesses such and honors it. God wants us to sacri- 



134 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

fice for Him, and when we do so He blesses us for it. 
He sacrificed His Son for us on Calvary, and surely 
we can sacrifice something for Him. Even the 
greatest sacrifice for Him that we can make is so 
little in comparison to His. Yet so many people 
who even call themiselves Christians won't quit their 
work for two hours to attend a day service at their 
own church for one week in a year. They say they 
haven't time. Haven't time to serve God, haven't 
time to win a precious soul for Jesus and from de- 
struction, haven't time to do good. Well, well! do 
you suppose God is pleased with that? Who gives 
you your time anyhow? Why, of course God does, 
and if you don't use part of it for Him you can't be 
doing right, and you know it. You are going to have 
to take time to die and go into judgment, and it 
makes no difference how busy you are. 

And I notice those Who are so busy they don't 
take time to worship and serve God don't have any 
more than those who do, and not half as much satis- 
faction. They have a hard time and murmur and 
complain, and don't seem to be happy like those who 
sacrifice their time and means to worship and serve 
God. Please take notice to this, will you ? When we 
do ri^ht and serve God, making a sacrifice of time, 
w^ork and means to do so, God will bless uis for it, 
both in temporal things and spiritual things. We 
are never going to lose anything by following Jesus 
and sacrificing for Him. He will give us in this life 
plenty, with peace and happiness, and in the world 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenioard. 135 

to come eternal life. This is the confidence I have in 
Him. But it appears that many, many people have 
no confidence or faith in God. It seems like they 
think if they lose a few hours of work to worship 
and serve God in, and divide their means for His 
sake, that they will starve to death. But I would 
rather think they would come nearer starving if they 
don't. The Psalmist said : "I have been young, and 
now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous for- 
saken, nor his seed begging bread." (Psa. 37:25). 
Well, praise His name! He Won't forsake us, but 
will supply all our need "according to his riches in 
glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19). 

Some folks won't even honor and keep sacred the 
Sabbath day on account of work. They go and do 
just what God says they shall not do, thinking if they 
don't their work will suffer. My, my ! isn't God able 
to take care of your work? Don't you have any 
faith in Him ? But you'll lose more, sooner or later, 
by working and violating the commandments of God. 
Mark this down if you please. We don't have to do 
anything God says not to, and we had better not. It 
always pays to do right and obey God. One never 
loses anything to do His will. I believe one will 
prosper more in this world, and of course will be 
much happier, to honor the Sabbath day and keep it 
holy, regardless of work, pleasure, etc., and it leads 
to heaven at last, or helps to lead us there. 

What have you done, and what are you doing, for 
God? may you honor and support His great and 



136 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

worthy cause above everything ! You'll not lose any- 
thing by sacrificing unto Him. He will repay you 
graciously and abundantly. We don't work for God 
for nothing, but He pays us more than we earn and 
deserve. Bless His name forever. We have such s 
good Gk)d, such a kind, loving, merciful God, to serve, 
who blesses us with all that we have worth while. 
Why not obey Him ? Why not give Him His part of 
your earnings, and His part of your time, and conse- 
crate your life completely unto Him? It is much 
better for us in this life and the life to come to do so. 
When we comply with His requirements and keep 
His commands He opens to us the windows of heaven 
and pours us out blessings that are rich, sweet, en- 
joyable, until there is not room enough, to receive 
them. 

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 

Joist to take Him at His word, 
Just to rest upon His promise 

Just to know thus saith the Lord." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

LOVE DIVINE. 

"God is love.'* 1 John 4:16. "For God so loved 
the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life." John 3:16. 

I am so glad these two passages of Scripture are 
in the Bible. Praise the name of God! Without 
them the Bible would be incomplete and much of its 
value would be lost. They are the very essence of 
the sacred Book. I love them. I cherish them. 

"God is love." Was ever a sweeter sentence re- 
corded? Was ever a greater declaration made? 
Has ever a pen written words that are more wonder- 
ful and blessed ? Has any orator, as he soared high- 
er and higher in oratory, speaking beautiful words 
and sentences that stirred the hearts of humanity, 
ever spoken a more sublime sentence? No, he 
couldn't. It's so sweet, grand, soul-cheering, and 
eloquently beautiful. "God is love." How it should 
inspire us! How it should encourage us! How it 
should cheer us! How much meaning there is in 
these three little words of one syllable each! They 
are so simple that a child can grasp them. And yet 
there is such a deep meaning in them that they en- 
gage the attention of scholars and sages. They 
should thrill and vibrate the very soul of man. 

'God is love." Was ever a grander sermon 

137 



((i 



138 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

preached in so many words? Was ever s'o much 
said in so few words? But the reaison they are so 
powerful is because they mean so much. They are 
solid with truth. And pure truth mounts high, 
mounts to the very dome of the skies, and towers to 
the top of hig'h heaven itself, and spreads every- 
where. Jesus is Truth itself, hence is everywhere. 
He is Love also. He loved poor, wretched, sinful 
humanity so much that He died for all. He still loves 
them. That is His name — Love. His love is so pro- 
found that it reaches all classes and all kinds of peo- 
ple in all standings and circumstances of life. Di- 
vine love condescends to the lowest and rises to the 
highest. Blessed Truth,— "GOD IS LOVE !" 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent 
not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but 
that the world through him might be saved. He 
that believeth on him is not condemned : but he that 
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath 
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of 
God." John 3 : 16-18. Hence men are condemned be- 
cause they do not believe in the name of the blessed 
Son of God. 

God loves the world. He wants the world saved. 
That is just why He sent "His. only begotten Son." 
Jesus Christ, to bleed, suffer and die. It is not His 
will that any should perish, "but that all should come 
to repentance." He wants to give life, everlasting 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenvjard. 139 

life, to every one. Hence He says : "Whosoever will, 
let him take the water of life FREELY." God loves 
the sinner and is calling him, — "Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy lad'en, and I will give 
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find 
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my 
burden is light." Matt. 11:28-30. 

Oh, why not hear and heed the voice of Jesus? 
Who can afford to resist, knowing that He wants to 
bless us, and never do us any harm? He wants to 
remove the sin and evil that is in the human heart 
and give us a pure, clean heart instead. He wants us 
to have a contrite heart like that of Himself. He 
wants to heap blessings upon us and make us happy 
along life's pathway, and carry us to heaven when 
our earthly pilgrimage is ended. He wants us to 
"rejoice and be exceeding glad" forever. 

Oh, the love of God, how great it is! It is far 
superior to any human love. No father or mother 
ever ioves their children like God loves them. Al- 
though they may love them dearly, yet they can't 
love them like God does and like He loves us all. 
Then you say if God loves us so He will not punish 
us, nor allow us to go to hell. Ah, but don't be de- 
ceived! Because the parent loves his child is no 
reason he should not punish it when it is rude and 
disobedient. Jesus said Himself in words that shall 
never die : "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
perish." And the Apostle Paul says: "How shall 



140 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

we escape if we neglect so great salvation T Even 
though God loves us dearly, yet if we do those things 
that are wrong, and live in disobedience to Him, and 
never repent of our sins, can we expect anything but 
misery, woe, pain and suffering in return? "For 
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." 
Therefore if we live and sow in disobedience to God 
we shall reap woe in eternity, and a great deal of it 
in this world, too. Woe means sorrow. And we see 
people all around us reaping it today, in this world, 
in this life. But if w^e live and sow to the Spirit — 
Divine Love— we ''shall of the Spirit reap life ever- 
lasting," and the unspeakable joy and bliss and glory 
of heaven. 

I love Jesus because He first loved me. My de^ 
sire is to serve Him very faithfully all my life. My 
love for Him is so little in comparison vdth His love 
for mie, though 1 love Him with all my heart I be- 
lieve. Every day of my life I want to show my love 
for Him by living and doing the things that are 
right, and that please Him. We must not only say 
we love Him, but we must love Him in deed and in 
truth. The way we live is the genuine proof of our 
love for God. Jesus said: "If ye love me, ye will 
keep my commiandments." So the real test of our 
love for Him is to keep His commandments, and to 
glory in His cross. And like Paul I want to say: 
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is cruci- 
fied unto me, and I unto the world/* 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 141 

During the Civil War a man was called to the 
army who had a family that greatly needed him at 
home, and doubtless would have suffered without 
him. In the same country there lived a boy who, 
knowing the circumstances of the man and his fam- 
ily, volunteered to go in his place if they would ac- 
cept him. He was accepted and went to the army 
and into battle. While fighting he fell on the battle- 
field, and soon died and was buried. Afterwards 
there was seen a man at his grave. He had traveled 
a long distance to pay a last tribute of respect to the 
good and noble boy. On his grave he wrote these 
words: *'He died for me." 

0, sinner, Jesus died for you. He took your 
place and suffered the awful death of the cross that 
you might live. Think of it, HE DIED FOR YOU ! 
Oh what wonderful love! What wonderful love! 
Come to Him and give Him your heart, your life, 
your time, your talent, your all! He died for you 
that you might live and be happy, and overcome 
death, hell and the grave, and that you might reach 
heaven when you are done with this world. He so 
loves us that He has gone to prepare a place in the 
skies where we can live with him forever, if only we 
will be good, holy and pure; and He, by His grace, 
will enable us to so live. He says : ''My grace is suffi- 
cient for thee." 

Following is a song which I wrote not long ago 
on the love of God: — 



142 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

LOVE DIVINE. 

(Tune: "Amazing Grace/') 
Oh, love Divine ! "how sweet the siound^' 

That saved my soul from sin ; 
When I was sinking, sinking down 

Christ took me safely in. 

CHORUS. 
Oh, it was love beyond compare 

The Savior had for me. 
To leave those glory ports so fair 

And die upon the tree ! 

Well do I know that "God is love" 
Just as the Scriptures say ; 

For Jesus left His throne above 
To take our sins away. 

Oh, praise the name of Love Divine, 

For by it Fm redeemed ! 
Its floods of grace, which now are mine, 

Into my soul have streamed. 

I ne'er shall cease to love my Lord, 
Because He first loved me. 

And sent His Son to die for us 
Upon that rugged tree. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

"LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS." 

There come times, no doubt, in the lives of al- 
most all people when they feel and realize the need 
of a higher power. They may have exhausted all 
the aid, strength and beneficence that humanity has 
given them, or possibly can give; they may have 
trusted in friends until that friendship could go no 
further; they may have been consoled and comfort- 
ed by them until the utmost limit of human consola- 
tion and comfort was reached, and still there was 
something needed and something lacking that the 
human heart longs and yearns for; they may have 
leaned on the aim of flesh until this also failed, and 
still something was needed. 

The arm of a tender and affectionate mother, ev- 
en though good and helpful as far as it can reach, 
will fail. The arm of a strong and sympathetic 
father will fail. The arm of dear brother or sister, 
or a true friend will fail. They cannot, even if they 
try ever so hard, reach all our conditions and supply 
all our needs. This fondest love, greatest aid, ten- 
derest sympathy and sv/eetest comfort will fail in 
that it does not go far enough to supply the needs 
which the human heart and life so often feel so 
deeply. The life, the soul, hungers after something 
that is not human, but Divine, — something that no 
friend on earth can give or bestow. 

143 



144 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

But, glory to God ! he that leans "on the everlast- 
ing arms" will never lack an3rthing. Jesus i® a 
Friend that never fails. His pov^er is so far beyond 
that of humanity that ours dwindles and fadeis into 
nothingness compared with His. His strong, omnip- 
otent arm reaches all conditions of the world that 
trust Him. 

Are we weak? He is strong, and to lean on His 
arm gives us that strength we cannot obtain else- 
where in all the world. Are we sorrowful? He is 
the great 'Comforter. Are we bereaved? He can fill 
the vacancy in our hearts, and will become a com- 
panion to us that will never leave us nor forsake us. 
Are we sin-sick and heavy laden? He is the Savior 
and Redeemer, a Friend of sinners, and will save all 
who sincerely call upon Him. Are we needy? He 
will supply our needs. Are we lonely and friendless 
in the world ? He is a true Friend of all isuch people, 
and will stick "closer than a brother,'' and will con- 
descend to the lowest, humblest, and most wretched 
conditions of humanity that He miay lift them up 
and place them on an equal with the best people of 
the world, and give them a home in heaven. 

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, 
All our sins and griefs to bear ! 

What a privilege to carry 

Everything to God in prayer !'* 

Oh, how sweet, how blessed, to lean "on the 
everlasting arms!*' We then feel safe and secure. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 145 

He says to all those who fully trust Him: *'There 
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague 
come nigh thy dwelling. ... He shall give his an- 
gels charge over thee." Praise His holy name! We 
can go on our way rejoicing, even if storms rage 
about us, and trials and persecutions are to undergo, 
and the forces of evil howl about ; for when we trust 
Him and have Him as our ''shield and buckler" we 
know that all is well. We feel safe, for we realize 
that beneath and round about us are the "everlast- 
ing arms." Then can we say with the poet: 

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine 
Leaning on the everlasting arms ; 

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms. 

"Oh how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms; 

how bright the path grows from day to day, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms. 

"What have I to dread, what have I to fear, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms? 

1 have blessed peace with my Lord so near, 

Leaning on the everlasting arms." 

How sweet it is to be a Christian, and to lean "on 
the everlasting arms!" Nothing is more wonder- 
ful ; nothing is more sublime. This is the way that 
leads to the home of the soul. This is the way to be 



146 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

lovable and Christlike. This is thei way to live a 
beautiful life and to shine evermore. This is the 
way to walk in the path of the just, which *'i'S as a 
shining light that shineth more and more unto the 
perfect day." This is the way to see beautiful 
things all around you, and to enjoy the blessings of 
God. This is the way to live a profitable and authen- 
tic life, and to be a blessing to the world. This is the 
way to be happy as we journey on life's' pathway un- 
til we stand at last at the Golden Gate of glory. 

To lean "on the everlasting arms" is blessed to 
live by. It miakes sweet flowers bloomi along the 
way; makes melody in the soul; turns darkness to 
light and sorrow to rejoicing. The reason so' many 
people are miserable is because they don't lean "on 
the everlasting arms," nor serve God. They really 
have nothing to make them happy. They are trying 
to carry life's burdens alone, hence they are despon- 
dent and miserable. The burden is too heavy for the 
arm of flesh, but not for the arm of the Almighty. 

Not only will "the everlasting arms" do to lean 
on while living, but they will do when dying. Yes, 
they seem best and most secure in the departing 
hour. If the valley of death is deep His arm reaches 
to the very bottom, and leads through the darkness 
and struggles safely. I believe I have seen this 
proven. 

I shall never forget a visit I once made to see a 
dying man, or rather a living man, for he was alive 
in God, though passing from this world. He was a 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 147 

member of a church I am pastor of. Only a short 
time before this he professed faith in the Lord Je- 
sus Christ, and his faith never failed. He was true 
to the blessed Christ whose blood saved him from 
a wretched life of sin and an awful hereafter. He 
was dying. I talked to him about his spiritual wel- 
fare, and found that he was still trusting in Jesus. 
Just before he passed on he said Jesus was standing 
at the door, and "God's will be done." After prayer 
with him I sang the sweet old song, "Leaning on the 
Everlasting Arms." He joined with me, even 
though his breath was short, his strength exhausted, 
and his voice shattered. Yet he sang. It seemed to 
me that we were both carried almost to the Golden 
Gate itself. He was, while dying, "leaning on the 
everlasting arms," and could well say: 

"What have I to dread, what have I to fear, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms? 

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms." 

He passed on. "The everlasting arms" carried 
him home. And some day I expect to be borne by 
the same "everlasting arms" to that place of eternal 
peace and joy, and behold his face again. Oh, praise 
the Lord ! To all who are "leaning on the everlast- 
ing arms," "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neith- 
er have entered into the heart of man, the things 
which God hath prepared for them that love him." 



148 Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

When the toil of life is ended, 
And our race on earth is run, 

May the arms of Jesus bear us 
Home to heaven, one by one. 

Then amid that heavenly glory, 
With the bright angelic throng. 

We will sing the sweet *'old story" 
In a new triumphant song. 

Twill be sweet to be with Jesus, 
And behold His loving face. 

Look upon the arms that brought us 
To our blissful resting place. 

Father, help me trust Thee ever, 
Lean upon Thy mighty arm; 

Keep me near the cross of Jesus, 
Far from danger, sin and harm. 



CHAPTER XX. 

FRIENDSHIP. 

When I speak of Friendship it appeals to me as 
something close akin to heaven. In fact, heaven is 
a place of untarnished friendship, v^here only those 
whose hearts are friendly toward each other, and 
where only eternal Friendship reigns, associate to- 
gether. No enmity, no strife, no hatred, no un- 
friendly associations, no unkind, unlovely, un- 
friendly relationships are known up there. If heav- 
en were not a place of purest, sweetest, loveliest, ho- 
liest friendship it would not be heaven. Would it 
not resemble the dark abode which we detest, called 
hell, in that it would have in its sacred inclosure the 
nature that torments and terrifies and horrifies like 
the world of cursed spirits? 

Friendship is heavenly. It is a part of the ele- 
ment that makes heaven so joyful, lovely, sweet, 
happy, pleasant, and everlastingly glorious. True 
friendship on earth gives its a part of heaven on 
earth. It endears, enriches, brightens and sweetens 
life, till heaven seems not far av/ay, and the angels 
seem to hover near. 

God and heaven and friendship coexist, that is 
they exist together. Christianity and friendship al- 
so coexist. In fact, so closely are they related that 
you can't separate the one from the other without de- 

149 



150 Life's Beavtiful Way Heavenward. 

stroying both. No friendship, no Christianity; no 
Christianity, no real, genuine, permanent friendship. 
That is, it is more or less fickle. It takes God to give 
us friendship that is unwavering and solid, or rather 
it takes God in our souls to make us friends that are 
true, friends that won't prove false, friends that no 
earthly woe can separate, fiiiends that lock hands 
and hearts forever. 

It is more desirable to have friends, and be in 
friendship with everyone, than to have riches. 
Friendship is riches in the heart — riches in our own 
heart and riches in the hearts of others. It is more 
than golden treasure. It gives peace and joy and de- 
light where the treasures of earth would only annoy 
and worry. Dollars cannot buy friendship, but it 
may be had for nothing. Only we are to show our- 
selves friendly in order to have friends. 

Perhaps there is nothing that will so bind and 
hold a home together as friendship and love which 
should be united. Education won't do it. Refine- 
ment won't do it. Attractions of various kinds won't 
do it. But friendship binds hearts together when it 
springs from love. Give us friendship in our homes, 
our churches, our communities, our states and we 
shall have a united people — a people striving to pro- 
mote each other's peace and advance each other's 
happiness, who labor for the welfare of one another 
for time and eternity. War will cease and a holy 
warfare for our God and His common, yet great 
cause, will be sitrongly waged. A banner of "Peace 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 151 

on earth, good will to men," will float over these hills 
and valleys and a blessed quietness will settle deeply 
into the hearts of men. 

*'So shall a friendship fill each heart 
With a perfume sweet as roses are. 

That even though we be apart. 

We'll scent the fragrance from afar." 

— Geo. McCoy. 

"The very best thing in good talk, and the thing 
that helps most, is friendship. How it discloses the 
barriers that divide us, and loosens all constraint, 
and diffuses itself like some fine old cordial through 
all the veins of life — this feeling that we understand 
and trust each other, and w*ish each other heartily 
well ! Everything into which it comes is really good. 
It transforms letter-writing from a task into a pleas- 
ure; it makes music a thousand times more sweet. 
The people who play and sing, not at us, but to us — 
how delightful it is to listen to them ! Yes, there is 
a talk-ability that can express itself even without 
words. There is an exchange of thought and feel- 
ing which is happy alike in speech and in silence. It 
is quietness pervaded with friendship." — Van Dyke. 

Tested friendship is that which stands true and 
unshaken in time of trials, need, sorrow, distress, 
trouble, battles, victories or failures. The old saying 
that ''A friend in need is a friend indeed" is true as 
gospel. It is easy to be a friend, or to show friend- 
ship, when there is no particular need, no cause to 



152 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

draw the heart out in real sympathy, or to dema'^d 
one to put forth energy and zeal and labor to prove 
that friendship. He tvho is not your friend in trial 
and test is not really your friend out of test. The 
friendship that only glides with you on the smooth 
waters of life, but shrinks to stem the tide and climb 
the wave and brave the storm of life with you is not 
frievdship. A friendship that won't cross the valley, 
through the dark and lurid cloud, and stick to you up 
the rugged steeps of life, but only goes- as far as the 
sunshine reaches and the flowers grow and the road 
is smooth and pleasant, is ordy a shadow of friend- 
ship. One's friendship consists not alone in ivords, 
but in deed and living proofs. One's friendship is no 
greater than actual test proves it to he. 

" *A friend in need,' my neighbor said to me — 
'A friend indeed is what I mean to be ; 
In time of trouble I will come to you 
And in the hour of need you'll find me true.' 
"I thought a bit, and took him by the hand ; 
'My friend,' said I, 'you do understand 
The inner meaning of the simple I'hyme — 
A friend is ivhat the heart needs all the time.' " 

— Henry Van Dyke. 

Friendship helps us in the problems of life. It 
goes down with us and grapples with difficulties that 
we sometimes are forced to meet and endure and 
overcome. It doesn't forsake us when the battle is 
on. It lends a hand when a hand is needed. It re- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 153 

joices with us when success and victory crown our 
efforts and life, and rejoices when the sunshine is 
ours in which to walk. It sympathizes with us in 
time of sorrow and taketh part of our trouble and 
shares it with us and helps us to bear the cross on- 
ward. It shares our afflictions, our infimiities, our 
woes. It doesn't forsake us if we lose our reputation, 
if our name is cast out as evil, if we are persecuted, 
if we are despised for the cause that is just, if we 
wear the crown of thorns and are spit upon. It 
doesn't forsake us if we lose our fortune and are 
turned out beggars in the world. It doesn't forsake 
us if we fall by the wayside and are trampled be- 
neath the multitudes who scorn us as they pass us 
by. It doesn't leave us when character is at stake or 
has been overshadowed, and the world scoffs at our 
very name. No, it only reaches out and lifts us up, 
and binds up and pours in "oil and wine," and says : 
**rm still your friend, and will help you." 

Friendship is Christlike. Its object is to do good 
and bless the needy, and lift up the fallen. It looks 
for objects of pity, objects of charity. It does not 
say to its brother in destitute circumstances: *'De- 
part in peace, be ye warmed and filled," but it goes 
to work to supply the need. It rejoices in doing 
something to bless and cheer and gladden and 
brig'hten some life. It delights to take away the 
thorns and briars and thistles and leave only beauti- 
ful, fragrant roses of blessing behind. It rejoices to 
sooth the aches and pains the world has caused. It 



154 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

delights to bind up the wounds and bruises of life 
rather than make them. Friendship does all this. 

**I sat thinking last night of friendship, 

That quality so rare in man ; 
That word oft used, more often abused 

By mankind through a whole life's span. 
I dreamed of an ideal friendship. 

Of a life growing sweet and calm, 
When a man served friends, not selfish ends ; 

And the lamp and I smoked on. 

"I pictured my friend as Fd have him, 

For whom I would lay down my life ; 
A steadfast friend on whom to depend 

Through life's battle of storm and strife 
The friendship of which I was dreaming 

Comes seldom, or soon is gone; 
'Tis a greater rarity than Christian charity. 

So the lamp and I smoked on. 

"Lamp and Pipe, shall we stop our smoking, 

And give up the search in despair ; 
Or still look through the leaves of Life's book. 

Till we find such a friend somewhere? 
Shall we ever find one, I wonder? 

A friend so sturdy and strong? 
Yes, we may some day, we can dream away. 

So the lamp and I smoked on." 

— Author Unknown. 

"Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I com- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 155 

mand you." John 15:14. What does He command 
us? Many things, this especially included: *'These 
things I command you, that you love one another." 
John 15:17. *This is my comm-andment. That ye 
love one another, as I have loved you." John 15 :12. 
Hence the conclusion is that if we do not love one an- 
other we cannot be a disciple, a follower of Christ. 
If we are not friends to each other, if there is not 
unsullied friendship existing between us and prompt- 
ing and inspiring us for each other's good, we are 
not a friend of God, and He cannot be our Friend 
to that extent. How important then is pure friend- 
ship! A continual friendliness, with good deeds, 
kindness, and words "fitly spoken" will make friends 
even of enemies. Try it, dear reader, and see. It 
may seem hard, but it will pay wonderful dividends 
in return. Jesus said: — "Therefore if thou bring 
thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy 
brother hath aught against thee ; leave there thy gift 
before the altar, and go thy way ; first he reconciled 
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 
Matt. 5:23, 24. 

Sometimes friendship is broken. And a broken 
friendship is more serious in m-any instances than 
a broken limb. The broken limb may knit together 
and heal and become strong, but the broken friend- 
ship may never be restored. But what is worse, the 
broken friendship not only separates friends, but it 
places a barrier between them and the one great 
Friend, Jesus Christ, or the one that is in the fault at 



156 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

least. The good old Book tells us: 'If ye love not 
your brother (and sister too, of course) whom ye 
have seen, how can ye love God whom ye have not 
seen T* That is as much as to say if you do not love 
your brother you cannot love God. "God is love ; and 
he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in 
him." 

Real friendship is close akin to love. It is its 
twin sister. "A friend loveth at all times." And 
whatever enhances Christian friendship is to be en- 
couraged; but whatever may sever the chord of 
friendship or weaken it, is to be discovered, to be de- 
tested. 

Broken vows and petty misunderstandings will 
sometimes sever a friendship. If such be the case 
with you, dear reader, and for all I know it may be, 
then for your own sake, for the sake of the one with 
whom your friendship is wrecked, and for heaven's 
sake, amend the broken link. It may, and doubtless 
does, mean your broken relation to God also, and 
heaven, and eternal peace and joy. It miay mean 
your downward journey to destruction. Somebody 
is to blame. See ivho it is. Is it not youl Then you 
had better make things right. Just as sure as you 
are not willing to confess your sins and faults and 
forsake them, and be reconciled to your brother, 
even he may now be your enemy, you cannot enter 
the kingdom of heaven, God doesn't let enemies en- 
ter the sacred enclosure of heaven, else it would no 
longer be heaven. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 157 

L^t us always understand the devil makes ene- 
mies of folks, not God. The devil breaks friendships, 
not God. And you cannot be God's disciple and heed 
the devil. Impossible! Why let trouble and petty 
faults and evils and misunderstandings and jealous- 
ies and envying and prejudice and such like stand 
between us and each other and God? Are w^e not 
foolish to do so? Does it not reveal a bad, a mean, 
a narrow, a little, selfish spirit rather than a great 
and Christlike spirit? Great lives and great spirits 
rise above such and retain friendly relations, re- 
gardless of conditions and circumstances the devil 
may place in the ivay. Oh, that real friendship may 
be ours forever ! Life will then be happier, brighter, 
sweeter, and the sunshine of heaven and the smile of 
God's hearty approval will beam into our very souls. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER. 

Prayer is a vital necessity. Jesus said in the 
18th chapter of St. Luke and the 1st verse: "Men 
ought always to pray, and not faint." How long 
ought men to pray? Always. Does that mean to 
stop part of the time and begin again ? No. Listen 
what Paul said about it over in 1 Thess. 5:17: "Pray 
without ceasing." Reader, are you doing that? Are 
you praying every day? Are you praying many 
times a day, even as you go about your work ? Have 
you learned to breathe a spirit of prayer? If not, you 
ought to, for it will make your soul fat, and make 
your heart happy. 

It's impossible to live a Christian life without 
prayer. Of course we can drag along in a cold, luke- 
warm, half-hearted, dry, dead, miserable kind of way 
without prayer and claim to be Christians, but that 
doesn't make us Christians. We can claim to be one 
thing and then be another. But if we are warm, 
true-hearted, sweet-spirited, good-natured, God-lov- 
ing, man-loving, Christ-serving, Christians we are 
very prayerful. We talk to Jesus about our needs, 
and bless His name ! He hears us. We ask of Him 
and He gives to us, for He hears our prayers, our pe- 
titions. For Jesus said :"Ask and ye shall re- 
ceive." "If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it." 

158 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 159 

That is the Christian; that is the close follower of 
Christ. We know Him and He knows us, and when 
He hears our voice, sees our needs, knows our de- 
sires. He answers and supplies them. "The effectual, 
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.'' 

But everything that sounds like prayer is really 
not prayer. The real, true, sincere, earnest, soul- 
sprung, heartfelt desire is prayer. The desire that 
goes out hungering and thirsting after God and 
righteousness approaches the throne and gets the 
blessing. But merely praying in a cold, half-hearted, 
formal way is not prayer. This is the reason so 
many prayers, or so-called prayers, are unfruitful, 
and do not return ladened with a blessing from God. 

The poet says: — 

^Trayer is the souFs sincere desire, 

Unuttered or expressed, 
The motion of a hidden fire 

That trembles in the breast." 

To be a real Christian we must be a real pray-er. 
We must not become weary in prayer. We must 
learn to stay much upon our knees, in the closets, 
away from the world and alone with God. We must 
learn to earnestly pray for what we need to make us 
good men and women, boys and girls. We must 
learn to pray and pray and pray until God answers. 

Elijah prayed seven times that it might rain on 
the dry, perished earth before he ever saw any sign 
of rain, and the first encouragement he had was a lit- 



160 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

tie cloud about the size of a man's hand that came in 
sight. After awhile it spread over the earth and 
there was abundance of rain. When Elijah prayed 
once and it didn't rain he didn't quit. When he 
prayed twice and it did not rain he didn't quit. When 
he prayed three, four, five, six times he didn't quit. 
No, he prayed until he heard from heaven, from 
God. He prayed seven times, or until the blessing 
came. He knew it would come, but it took much 
prayer, earnest prayer, soul-travail to bring it. 

When Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed 
from his flesh he didn't stop with his first prayer. 
No, he didn't hear from God. He prayed three 
times, or until God answered and said: "My grace 
is sufficient for thee." He was praying for an an- 
swer, and he prayed till it came. 

Oh, dear reader, the trouble with too many of us 
is that we don't pray enough. We are too easy to get 
wearied, tired, become discouraged because we don't 
get at once what we pray for or hear from God, then 
we give up and quit. The thing to do is to keep upon 
our knees and faces and pray and pray until we 
"pray clear through." Why, Jesus prayed in the 
garden of Gethsemane until His sweat became as 
drops of blood. Oh, if every Christian would pray 
heart-sprung prayers until they sweat through heart- 
agony and soul-travail, I tell you, things would come 
to pass. Things would be transformed. Sinners 
would be convicted and converted. Christians would 
be stronger and nobler, have brighter faces, be 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 161 

sweeter, gentler, more patient, bold, wise, harmless. 
Homes would be happier, churches would be built 
up, nations would be at peace, heaven would be on 
earth. 

We need to be patient and wait upon the Lord. 
For 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
strength ; they shall mount up with Avings as eagles ; 
they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall 
walk, and not faint.'* If the devil can get us to give 
up and say, "It's no use to pray longer," we lose the 
blessing; we are defeated and he has won the vic- 
tory. Then we are not w*hat we ought to be and 
could be, and God fails to get glory out of our lives. 

A patient and continual waiting upon the Lord 
makes us strong. It fits-and equips us for battle, and 
when we meet the enemy we are prepared for him, 
and he falls before us and we march on shouting and 
singing and praising God. 

A Christian can't live (spiritually) without pray- 
er. It's impossible, for he has nothing to feed upon. 
The Holy, abiding Comforter won't dwell where He 
is not invited or even implored to come. He doesn't 
stay in a heart where prayer is lacking, where there 
is no prayer. And neither can we meet and compete 
with the conflicts of life without prayer and be suc- 
cessful. Prayer is our armor, our ammunition, and 
if we are without it we are already defeated, undone. 
The soul dries up, stifles, smothers to death without 
prayer. For, — 



162 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

"Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air; 
The watchword at the gate of death ; 

He enters heaven with prayer." 

Therefore, if the Christian loses his ** vital 
breath" and gets out of his * 'native air" he dies. And 
if one has no vital breath nor native air he is already 
dead — I mean spiritually. So our great need of to- 
day is prayer ; earnest prayer, soul-sprung, heartfelt 
prayer; long seasons of prayer and waiting upon 
the Lord. Then let us say with one of old : ''Lord, 
teach us to pray." Then let us pray and pray until 
all of life's conflicts are over and heaven is won. 
Lord, for Jesus' sake grant it ! Amen ! 



CHAPTER XXII. 

HUNGERING AND THIRSTING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

''Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness: for they shall be filled. — Matt. 
5:6. 

This is what Jesus said in His marvelous sermon 
on the Mount. He was talking to His disciples who 
had come unto Him perhaps for instruction, away 
from the thronging and surging multitudes. And 
the lesson He taught them there and then shall for- 
ever have its place in the Holy Scriptures as one of 
vital importance. It was God the Divine, clothed in 
human flesh, speaking to men as He moved visibly 
among them, beholding their needs and supplying 
them "according to His riches in glory.'' 

Now to those who are following Him today as 
His devoted and loyal disciples the same blessings 
which He promised His followers then are for His 
followers today. His blessings were not limited to 
that day and to those people, but were for all time to 
come and for all people who would serve Him and 
do His will. So that includes the Christian of toda}^ 
for which we should be so glad and thankful, and 
say with the poet from a sincere heart : 
*'To our bountiful Father above 

We will offer our tribute of praise. 
For the glorious gift of His love, 
And the blessings that hallow our days." 
163 



164 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

I*m glad for the promises of God. They are great 
and rich and sweet. The song says : 

''Those promises were never known to fail, 

No power of darkness o'er them can prevail ; 

They were builded sure and strong 

For the conflict with the wrong, 

And those promises were never known to fail." 

The one who is living for Jesus, loving, serving 
and obeying Him, has His promises fulfilled unto 
him oontinually. And with faith he can sing, as 
his soul overflows with joy: 

"Standing on the promises that cannot fail. 
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail ; 
By the living Word of God I shall prevail, 
Standing on the promises of God." 

Let us go back to the text. * 'Blessed are they 
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for 
they shall be filled." We see by what Jesus says 
here that it is good to hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness. Those who do so are "blessed." That is, 
they are happy ; and when our Lord makes us happy 
it is the best and greatest happiness in all the w^orld, 
and lasts the longest. Bless His holy name. He 
knows how, and delights in making His children joy- 
ful. Perhaps the Psalmist was experiencing this 
happiness of soul when he said: *'My cup runneth 
over." That expresses the feelings of the Christian 
into whose heart and soul Jesus is pouring His rich- 
est and sweetest blessings. It makes him so happy 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 165 

that his cup of joy runs over and he praises the Lord 
out of a pure heart. 

However, before Jesus makes one happy there 
must be that hungering and thirsting after right- 
eousness, that desire to have His blessings, that 
soul-sprung prayer for His goodness in the life, that 
willingness to be obedient to His will and commands. 
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 
righteousness." This is our part in the matter; this 
is for us to do. We always have a part to perform, 
and when we do what we are required to of Him 
then He does what He promises. We are only to re- 
ceive His blessings on conditions, and when those 
conditions are fully met then God acts. The prom- 
ise in this text is that those who hunger and thirst 
after righteousness "shall be filled." To use the ex- 
act words of Jesus : "For they shall be filled." This 
is God's part. The filling must be done by Him. No 
one else can do it. 

I'm glad of this positive ''shalV It's His prom- 
ise to the soul who wants His righteousness , who is 
willing to count the cost and pay the price. He 
doesn't say they must be filled, they might be filled, 
they could be filled, thus leaving it in an uncertain 
state; but He says plainly: "They shall be filled." 
We spoke of His promises rather at length a f ew^ mo- 
ments ago, coming to the conclusion that they are 
sure and certain, and "were never known to fail." 
Therefore those who desire the righteousness of Gk)d, 
who really hunger and thirst after it, should grasp 



166 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

this promise. Lay hold of it by faith. Jesus Him- 
self made the promise, and His part He will most 
assuredly fulfil. 

The rea^son people are not filled more with the 
righteousness of God, and portray in their lives the 
very likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, is because 
they do not hunger and thirst after it. Tc hunger 
and thirst after anything means to crave and desire 
it above all things else perhaps. And that is just the 
place we are to reach in our attitude toward Gk)d 
and His goodness and righteousness before we are 
filled. We know what it means to be hungry and 
thirsty. Only that which will satisfy our hunger 
and quench our thirst will suflfice. Hence nothing 
but righteousness will satisfy the hungry soul. We 
are willing to search for food when we are hungry, 
or water when we are thirsty, until we find it if 
possible. We search diligently, because on it depends 
life. Therefore we are to search for the righteous- 
ness of God through prayer and supplication on our 
knees before Him, and by reading and obeying His 
Word. While the search for food and water might 
be in vain, as no doubt it has been with many who 
have perished for the lack of it, yet I believe that the 
honest, diligent search for the true righteousness of 
God to fill the hungry and thirsty soul is never in 
vain. No, bless the Lord. ''They shall he filled,'' 
They shall not perish for the lack of food and water 
of eternal life. The aibundance of what God has 
shall be divided with them, and they shall be happy 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 167 

in their souls with their cups of salvation running 
over. They can then be bright lights to the world 
and sing and testify for God anywhere, and not be 
ashamed, nor afraid of men and devils. The love 
and righteousness of Jesus Christ cast out shame 
and fear. It makes one decisive under the most try- 
ing circumstances of life for God and His cause. To 
illustrate : 

The daughter of an English nobleman fond of 
pleasure, was brought to know Jesus as her Savior. 
Her conversion was manifested in her life and ways. 
It tells itself. Her father, who was a thorough man 
of the world, was greatly displeased and sought in 
every way to lead her into the world, in the hope that 
.she might give up her ''foolish notions." 

Temptations in worldly society, extravagance in 
dress and traveling in foreign countries were all 
tried to drag her down again to the level of the poor 
world. But her heart was fixed. Jesus was more to 
her than all that earth could give, and to Him she 
was resolved to cleave. Baffled and disappointed, 
her father resolved upon one last desperate effort, 
by which his end should be gained, or his daughter's 
earthly prospects ruined. 

A large company of nobility were invited to the 
home. It was arranged that during the festivities 
the daughters of different noblemen should entertain 
the company by singing, accompanied with music on 
the piano- forte. She was chosen as one of the num- 
ber. It was a moment of trial for the young believer. 



168 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

If she complied and joined in singing the songs of 
the world, her testimony for Christ would be wreck- 
ed and her communion with God broken. If she re- 
fused, her father had threatened to expel her from 
his house. She would be publicly disgraced and lose 
her place in society. The gay company Vv^ere gath- 
ered together, and one after another performed 
their part. At last the name of this young lady was 
announced, and the eyes of all were turned toward 
her. The crisis had come, and every one wondered 
how the scale would turn. She arose, and with a 
calm and dignified composure, took her seat at the 
instrument. Her father thought he had gained his 
point. After a few moments of silent player, then, 
with a voice of unearthly sweetness and solemnity, 
she sang : 

"No room for mirth or trifling here. 
For worldly hope or worldly fear, 

If life so soon be gone ; 
If now the Judge is at the door. 
And all mankind must stand before 

The inexorable throne. 

"No matter which my thoughts employ, 
A moment's misery or joy ; 

But O, when both shall end. 
Where shall I find my destined place ? 
Shall I my everlasting days 

With friends or angels spend?'' 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 169 

When the sing^ing ceased the solemnity of eter- 
nity was upon that gay assembly. Then, without 
speaking, they dispersed ; one after another slipping 
from the room. The father wept aloud; and when 
he was left alone with his daughter he asked her 
prayers for his soul's salvation; and her prayers 
were not in vain, for the proud man was humbled be- 
fore God to confess himself a sinner, to accept by 
faith the Savior of the lost as his own, and to fol- 
low and live for Him. His life, his wealth and his 
talents were henceforth the Lord's. (Selected from 
a tract.) 

Thus it pays to be true to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and be filled with His righteousness. In such severe 
tests as this, one can then win the victory over the 
world and the devil, and feel a sweet, settled peace 
in the soul, and be so happy that the cup of joy and 
salvation will run over. Praise the Lord for ever- 
more! 

But people today are hungering and thirsting 
after the world. This is the great trouble. This is 
why no more are happy, not being filled with the f ull- 
nesis of God. They are hungering and thirsting 
after the dollar, after wealth, after houses and land, 
after positions, after education, after fine clothing, 
after styles and sinful fashions, after worldly pleas- 
ure and a big time, after things to gratify *'the lust of 
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of 
life," and not after God and His righteousness. No 
wonder trouble and distress are abroad in the world. 



170 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

No wonder there are mobs and uprisings, wars and 
disease, death and destruction. When men violate 
God's holy laws and do what He said they shall not 
do, and fail to do what He has said they shall do, 
it brings trouble, distress, heartaches. This holds 
true in the life of the individual as well as the life 
of a country and a nation, and even nations. You 
only have to look about you to realize the truthful- 
ness of the statement. And many times the right- 
eous have to suffer with the unrighteous here, for 
the wrongs they do and the consequent sufferings 
they bring upon the world; but thank God, there's 
coming a time *'in the sweet bye and bye" when the 
righteous shall go shouting home to God and glory, 
and there be free from sorrows and sufferings, sins, 
injustice and the vexations and impositions of the 
devil, and be happy for evermore. 

dear reader, live for Jesus ! Live for heaven. 
This world is not our home anyway, and doesn't af- 
ford any lasting joy and satisfaction. Then don't 
let its cares and worries, its sins and evils, its temp- 
tations and allurements and so-called pleasures stand 
between you and God. You can't afford to. Heaven 
is too sweet and happy to miss and hell is too awful 
to gain. What shall it profit you to gain the world 
and lose your soul ? Think of it. There is too much 
at stake for us to live for the world and the devil. 
One sacrifices life everlasting, peace, joy, and a place 
in heaven with Jesus and the angelic hosts to do so^ — 
to live an evil life. I beseech you in Jesus' name, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 171 

"Set your affection (or mind) on things above, not on 
things on the earth." (Col. 3 :2.) Hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, be filled with the Spirit and the 
fullness of God, get His richest and sweetest bless- 
ings which He has in store for every saint, and be 
happy in your soul forever. Amen. 

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness : for they shall be filled." 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
THE CROSS OF CHRIST. 

'•'God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is cru- 
cified unto me, and I unto the world." — Galatians 
6:14. 

The above is the language of the great man of 
God, the apostle Paul. After he became a Christian, 
after he became a follower of Christ, he w^as such 
a devout and pious man that he gloried only in the 
cross of Christ. It was his desire, his passion, his 
aim, his one central point to which he worked and 
for which he lived, no doubt, to glory in nothing, 
"save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." He 
realized that if he measured up to the fullness of 
righteousness which Christ required of him, and 
which He also requires of us, that he must glory in 
nothing else. The view-point that he took of Chris^ 
tianity — ^what it takes to be Christlike, and what is 
required of us to measure up to the fullness of what 
the word "Christian" implies: — ^^is very timely and 
appropriate for every follower of Christ. Our aim, 
greatest aspiration and the burden of our prayers 
should be to glory in nothing except the cross of Je- 
sus Christ; that is following Him at all cost, work- 
ing for Him, living for Him, being His, out and out, 
and nothing else. 

172 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward 173 

If we are to reach Christian perfection; if we 
are to be living types of Christlikeness ; if we are 
to be led by Him; if He is to get glory out of our 
lives ; if we are to be living witnesses for Him ; if we 
are to let our "light so shine before men, that they 
may see our good works and glorify our Father 
which is in heaven ;" if we are to be filled with the 
Holy Ghost ; if we are to have the mind in us "which 
was also in Christ Jesus ;" if we are to stand forever 
upon a solid and unshakable foundation; if we are 
to have "clean hands and a pure heart;" if we are 
to keep near and walk close to Christ in the "straight 
and narrow way ;" if we are to be all that our Fath- 
er would have us be and reach heaven in the final end, 
we, too, must say as did Paul in his forceful lan- 
guage and sublime choice : "God forbid that I should 
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the 
world." 

Paul realized that it meant much and required 
lots of him to be a Christian and live a purely Chris- 
tian life. He knew quite well that to love and glory 
in something else other than the cross of Christ 
would be displeasing to God, and would mean for 
him defeat. Very well was he aware of the fact 
that he could not get audience with God, and be a 
true representative of His cause which he esteemed 
so highly, if he gloried in other things. He knew 
that a life minus Christ, and to glory in a cause or 
a thing besides that of Christ, was not the ideal of 



174 Life*s Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

the perfect man, nor the comer stone upon which he 
should build for eternity. He knew that God had 
said: **Thou shalt have no other g-ods before me." 
He knew that God must be first and uppermost and 
supreme in his life. He realized that "If any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him," 
for we are told: "Love not the world." Hence the 
cause of his appeal to God, — ''God forbid that I 
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ:' His sincere desire was to glory, take pleas^ 
ure in, rejoice, have special delight, in nothing but 
the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross, and the cross 
only, was worthy of his glory. The cross was the 
radius around which everything should revolve. 
The cross supported the mangled and bleeding Sac- 
rifice, the Lamb of God, which was and does and is 
to redeem the world. The end of a blessed career, 
the fruits of our honest labors, the climax of our 
hopes, and the heig'ht of our aspirations are centered 
in the cross. And with the poet we rejoice to say : 
"Oh, the cross has wondrous glory !" 

The startling fact that people are glorying in 
many other things besides the cross of Christ cannot 
be questioned. Too many by far are glorying in 
everything else but the cross. They love the world, 
and "the things that are in the world," more than 
Christ and spiritual things. Hence they glory in 
other things which stand between them and the 
cross, hide its beauty, splendor and glory from them, 
and keep them from duty and aloof from God. They 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 175 

have ''other gods" before them which they are devot- 
ed to, and which is in direct disobedience to the God 
whom we call our Father in heaven. 

Let us for a little while notice some of the many 
things that people are glorying in today beside "the 
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Many are glorying 
in the fashions and fads of the day that are corrupt- 
ing and cursing the world. They are taking pattern 
after Paris, the city of fashions, and which is said 
to be the most wicked city in the world. Following 
Paris, not Christ. Accepting the example she sets, 
not the examples Christ set. Keeping "up-to-date," 
fashionable, — and glorying in it, whether God ap- 
proves of it or not ; and most assuredly the most of 
it is not approved by Him. We know that there ar>t 
fashions that are a shame and disgrace to the human 
race which casts a shadow over our Creator, in whose 
glory we were created. God created us, no doubt, 
for the specific purpose that we glorify Him and 
bring honor to His name by being clean, pure and 
holy like He is ; for He tells us : "Be ye holy, for I am 
holy." Therefore if we clothe ourselves and deport 
ourselves in any way that is shameful and sinful 
He fails to get the glory out of our lives that we owe 
Him, hence the evil of it. And these shameful and 
foolish fashions in which so many glory, spending 
their money, their time and their lives in order to 
keep up with, are a dishonor, both to themselves 
and God; and furthermore, they are trap-doors 
through which numbers are falling into hell. The 



176 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard, 

fashions that are indecent beget lust and adultery, 
thus wrecking and ruining unknown numbers. And 
they that love any kind of fashions, though they be 
nice and decent, better than they love God, and glory 
in them, are sinning. 

Many of today are glorying in pride, which is 
one among the biggest hobbies old Satan has set up 
for people to ride to hell. He's a proud old fellow 
and likes to have proud followers. The Bible tells 
us: "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to 
the humble." Pride does not win its way into the 
kingdom of God and rise to His throne glorified. It 
can not pass. It must be left on the outside of the 
pearly gates, must be overcome, must be gotten rid 
of, must be eradicated from the heart and spirit. 
The only thing it is fit for is to send souls to a hell 
of torture and agony. Oh, that it may be overcome 
in our lives. *'Why should the spirit of mortal be 
proud?" Why should we glorify in something that 
is carrying us down to the place of the dismal, the 
doomed and the damned, where the host of Satan are 
torturing? For we are assured that "Pride goeth 
before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a 
fall." 

Another evil in which, perhaps, almost countless 
numbers of today are glorying in is money and mon- 
ey-making. The "Almighty Dollar," as it has been 
named, is their god. Their greatest aspirations are 
to make money. They strive for it ; they labor, work 
and toil for it ; they are slaves to it ; they hunger for 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. Ill 

it ; they glory in it ; they love it. What does the Bi- 
ble say concerning this? Listen! "The love of mon- 
ey is the root of all evil." I Tim. 6:10. No doubt 
this is the greatest evil of this twentieth century, 
this age of the world. The love of money leads to 
so many kinds of sins. People will do so many wrong 
things, corruptible things, hellish things, for money. 
Ah, think of loving a little cold, lifeless metal, — silver 
and gold, — in the form of money, more than Him 
who gave it all to us and to whom it all belongs! 
Even all the millions of earth won't pay even one 
man's way to heaven, nor buy one soul out of hell. 
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
whole world, and lose his ov^ai soul?" 

We must pass on and speak briefly of a few more 
among the almost numberless things which employ 
the time, the talent, the labor, the thought, and en- 
gage the lives of so many, and in all of which they 
glory. Men are glorying in strong drinks and in- 
toxicants, and other injurious drinks and drugs. 
Solomon tells us: ''Wine is a mocker, strong drink 
is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not 
wise." **No drunkard shall enter the kingdom of 
heaven." Hence the drunkard's glory is vain, and 
his feet are planted fast on the Broad Way that leads 
to destruction and eternal perdition. 

Old Satan has a great variety of evils which he 
places and displays before the people to allure them 
away from God and the cross of Christ. If he can't 
entice a man in one way he tries another. He ap- 



178 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

peals to the eyes, to the ears, to the taste, to the feel- 
ing, to the passion, to the fancy in thousands of 
different ways, and quite often in a way the least 
expected, that he may take us by surprise and thus 
capture us. We have to live very close to Jesus if 
we are to escape Satan. We have to glory in noth- 
ing but the cross of Christ if we retain our integrity 
and godliness. We have to watch as well as pray. 
Jesus Himself has told us: "Men ought always to 
pray, and not to faint." "What I say unto you I say 
unto all. Watch." We are to abstain not only from 
evil, but "from all appearance of evil." We are to 
be very careful as to what we glory in, lest we err 
and come short of the glory of God. 

Following is a mere mention of a few m'ore of the 
things in which people are glorying, as they follow 
Satan and not Christ. Some glory in card playing 
and gambling. Some glory in cheating and def raud>- 
ing. Some glory in cursing and swearing, and in- 
dulging in all kinds of profanity. Some glory in 
gratifying their wicked lusts, passions and appetites. 
Some glory in adultery and fornication. Some 
glory in tattling and mischief -making. Some glory 
in the downfall of their fellowman. Some glory in 
pulling down others and ruining their character, 
name and influence. Some glory in the wealth and 
riches of the world, "heaping to themselves treas- 
ures, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves break through and steal." Some glory in 
telling falsehoods. Some glory in their beauty. Some 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 179 

glory in their children. Some glory in their parents. 
Some glory in their friends and relatives. Some 
glory in their work and occupation. Some glory in 
their politics. Some glory in education, preferring 
it before they do the "kingdom of God and his right- 
eousness." Some glory in the position they hold and 
the standing they are in. Some glory in fame and 
renown. And some glory "in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified (killed) 
unto them, and they unto the world." They worlj 
for Christ, live for Christ, suffer for Christ, and fol- 
low Christ. Some glory in one thing and some an- 
other. But all glory in something whether it be in 
the cross of Christ or the thousands of things of the 
world. We either glory in the cross or we glory in 
something else. There is no neutral ground. And 
anything besides the cross of Jesus Christ that we 
may glory in, preferring it before the cross, loving 
it better than the cross, cherishing it more than the 
cross, is wrong to that extent. No wonder Paul 
said, — and we should say with him : "God forbid that 
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 

Then what we need to do is to have the world 
crucified unto us and be crucified unto the world, and 
glory in nothing but the cross. How I wish that all 
could say in the language of the poet, — 

"In the cross of Christ I glory, 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time ; 

All the light of sacred story 
Gathers round its head sublime. 



180 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

"When the woes of life overtake me, 
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy. 

Never shall the cross forsake me ; 
Lo ! it glows with peace and joy. 

*When the sun of bliss is beaming 
Light and love along the way, 

From the cross the radiance streaming 
Adds more luster to the day. 

"Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure; 

By the cross are sanctified; 
Peace is there that knows no measure, 

Joys that through all times abide. 

"In the cross of Christ I glory. 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time ; 

All the light of sacred story 

Gathers round its head sublime/' 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

HE WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH. 

If misfortunes come upon you, 

If your friends forsake in need, 
Come to Christ, the Friend of sinners, 

He will be your Friend indeed. 
If your days are filled with sorrow, 

And your heart is aching, too. 
Lean upon the arm of Jesus, 

And He'll lead you safely through. 

In your trials and your battles. 

In your toils and your tears. 
From early morn till setting sun. 

Through life's long and weary years, 
Christ will never tire in watching, 

Helping and in guarding you ; 
If you '•'follow where He leadeth," 

He will lead you safely through. 

If you're weak and if you're weary 

And life's sun is shining dim. 
Lift your heart and soul to Jesus, 

Put your trust alone in Him. 
He will give you strength and courage, 

Be a Comforter that's true ; 
If you'll only trust Him fully. 

He will lead you safely through. 
181 



182 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

When temptations try your goodness, 

Do not falter, do not fail; 
Trust more fully in the Savior 

And you surely will prevail. 
To the cross of Christ draw closer, 

Be a soldier brave and true. 
Trust Him as your mighty Leader, 

And He'll lead you safely through. 

"Be not weary in well doing,*' 

Said the Master to us all, 
For we'll surely get a blessing 

If we do not fail and fall. 
He will give us "grace and glory," 

Peace to make us happy, too ; 
If we'll only trust Him fully, 

He will lead us safely through. 

If you're offcast and forsaken. 

And your joy is very small ; 
If despondency has settled 

Down upon you like a pall, 
Pray to Jesus long and earnest 

'Till your spirit's sky is blue ; 
With the sunshine of His presence 

He will lead you safely through. 

As you fight life's battles, brother. 
Striving to suppress the wrong, 

Keep your spirit filled with courage 
And your heart aglow with song. 

Many scars you'll get, my brother. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 183 

As you battle with Christ's few, 
But in all your sore afflictions, 
He will lead you safely through. 

In the cross of Christ, dear comrade, 

Let your glory ever be ; 
Follow closely in His footsteps 

Up the heights of Calvary. 
And if you live for Him daily. 

And His words abide in you. 
When you reach death's solemn valley, 

He will lead you safely through. 

**Be thou faithful," Christian pilgrim, 

Until earthly toils are o'er. 
Plant your footsteps ever higher 

Toward that happy golden shore. 
Then the Golden Gate will open 

For the faithful and the true. 
And the Savior, decked in glory. 

Will conduct you safely through. 

Dear reader, are you *'a soldier of the cross, a 
follower of the Lamb ?" I trust that you are ; but if 
not, my prayer is that you may be. If you are a 
soldier of Jesus Christ, I bid you Godspeed. Keep 
up the fight and warfare against wrong. You may, 
and no doubt will not, reach the Golden Gate without 
many scars and wounds and bruises. But when you 
come up there, a battle-scarred soldier, "bearing in 
your body the marks of the Lord Jesus," the Father 
will look upon you as a hero of His who won the vie- 



184 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

tory, and say :''Well done, weary pilgrim, welcome 
home." 

In all things, dear friends, whether it be sickness 
and health, poverty or riches, trials and battles, 
crosses and burdens, success or misfortune, hope or 
despondency, hardships and persecutions, tempta- 
tions and besetments, *'ups and downs" in life, — 
"If you'll only trust in Jesus, 
He will lead you safely through." 

Then *'let us lay aside every weight, and the sin 
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with 
patience the race that is set before us, looking unto 
Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith." We 
should not cling to anything that would hinder us in 
life's great race and in reaching the goal. Every 
little passion and whim ; every evil pleasure we may 
engage in; every habit and saying; every desire of 
the heart ; every aspiration that we may have which 
is not for righteousness and the glory of God ; ever/ 
temperament and inclination of life and trait of 
character which might be a weight, — everything, 
soul and body, life and spirit, must be given up to 
God, and we must *'run with patience the race that 
is set before us." We must say: My life is Thine, 
dear Lord. Take it and use it according as Thy 
providence sees best. I surrender all to Thee. I lay 
all on the altar, soul and body, time and talent. Now 
use it to Thy glory. 

May God bless you, dear reader. Remember me 
in your prayers. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

STREWTN(; FLOWERS ALONG LIFE'S PATHWAY. 

It should be the desdre of all people to make the 
pathway of life which they travel in as pleasant as 
possible, both for themselves and others. Sin and 
sorrow should be banished as much as possible, for 
it has no part, or should have none, in our life, — ^sin 
especially. We need to keep close watch and careful 
guard as we go on, and see that all the thorns of evil 
which are so unpleasant are plucked up and annihi- 
lated, so far as our part goes and the interests of 
others are concerned. If we have been pricked and 
torn by them along the way we should not want 
others to have the same troubles and misfortunes. 
God wants to make it delightful for them — delight- 
ful in love and righteousness. If we make it pleas- 
ant for them they vdll make it pleasant for us. If 
we love them they will also love us. "Love is re- 
flected in love," and love brings new and fresh bless^ 
ing-s from the fountain of all Love. If we do good 
for others through love they will do good for us. We 
receive in return just about what we give to others, 
or for what we do for them. It has been said : '"Give 
to the world the best you have and the best will re- 
turn to you again." The return current will carry it 
back, laden with blessings great and wonderful to 
behold and glorious to possess. But, on the other 

185 



186 Life's eBautiful Way Heavenward. 

hand, if you give to the world the worst you have — 
thorns and thistles, briars and stings — you may be 
well aware of the fact that you will, to a great ex- 
tent, receive the same in return. "Therefore," Jesus 
says, "all things whatsoever ye would that men 
should do to you, do ye even so to them : for this is 
the law and the prophets/' Matt. 7 :12. This, too, is 
the Golden Rule. Scatter or strew flowers, — good 
and pleasant words, sweet and cheerful smiles, help- 
fulness, encouragement, and good deeds, — ^along the 
way where you journey. To use a Bible term or 
sentence: *'Cast thy bread upon the waters ; for thou 
shalt find it after many days.'' Bloom over each un- 
pleasant thorn or thistle some sweet rose or lovely 
flower. Let this be the one great and sublime ob- 
ject and purpose of your life, coupled with the ear- 
nest desire to follow in the footsteps of the Master. 
Live for others. Have an interest in the welfare of 
those around you. Help them to be happy and suc- 
cessful. Lead them out on broader and higher 
heights in life. Help to uplift and elevate them. Do 
not kick them lower, but if they have fallen in mis- 
fortune, which is very often the case, be like the 
good Samaritan, help themi; lift them up again. 
Show yourself neighborly and you will have neigh- 
bors. This is the real Christlike spirit and shows a 
Christ-life. 

Have a love-laden message for those whom you 
chance to meet and converse with. "Owe no man 
anything, but to love one another : for he that loveth 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 187 

another hath fulfilled the law." Each step that you 
help your fellowman to make upward toward heaven, 
God will reward you for it. Each rose that you 
bloom for the joy and good of others, God will add 
to your crown a star for it. The flowers that you 
strew along the pathway for the pilgrim who is fol- 
lowing on are not lost. They are to brighten his ca- 
reer. Some sad and wounded heart will behold them 
and perhaps take courage. Hence it is worth while 
— the strewing of flowers along the way. Better 
now than after death comes, for we can do the dead 
no good. If you have a good word to say, say it 
while the one of whom it is spoken is living. If you 
have a warm place for him in your heart, and a 
high regard for his life and character, let him know 
it. It \Yi\\ do him good. Don't wait until he is dead 
to do all of your good speaking about him. He ^m\\ 
know nothing of it then. But while he is living is 
the time, more especially. Perhaps it will enable 
him to be more courageous and faithful. It may give 
him new energy and Christian zeal. However, it 
will brighten his pathway. If you can do him a good 
deed, do it now. Don't wait until life is over before 
you show any love by twining flowers over his casket 
and shedding tears of homage to his memory. But, — 

If you have a wreathe of flowers, 
Twine it 'round his care-worn brow ; 
Wait not for the grave and casket, 
Tis more blessed given now. 



188 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

Many, many people today are making the mistake 
of failing- to show their love and respect for their 
fellowmen until death has severed the silver cord of 
life. Ah, this is worthless ! The dead are none the 
better, and neither does God bless you for it. Our 
mission should be to help the living, not the dead. 
Then let us remove the impediments and hindrances 
from the way, and never instead be stumbling- 
blocks. To those whom we meet and with whom we 
deal we should say : Go forward ; do not he discour- 
aged: and the glorious goal is just ahead! "If God 
be for us, who can be against us?" Realize that we 
have all power on our side, namely, God. Then why 
fail? Is there any need of it? Is such to be our des- 
tiny? Were we born for failure and defeat? Is it 
the decree of our heavenly Father pronounced upon 
us ? No ! a thousand times NO ! We have but to be 
faithful and courageous. This is the secret, if I 
may call it such, that underlies every laudable and 
successful life, viith the attachment of the noble at- 
tributes of work, hope, trust, and confidence in God, 
good. *'Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give 
thee a cro-v^ni of life." This is the final promise. So 
then let the Spirit which was in Christ Jesus be in 
you, and you will not be unsuccessful along the way. 
In the language of the poet I would say : 

"Be strong! 

We are not here to play, to dream, to drift ; 

We have hard work to do, and loads to lift ; 

Shun not the struggle^ — ^face it ; 'tis God's gift." 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 189 

Remember again, dear friend, — 

"After night clouds slip away, 

Only radiant stars remain; 
At the breaking of the day 

Beams the ardent sun again. 

In the doing of good deeds, 

Gamming thus the golden morn, 
Is the life-blood of all creeds, 

And the joy that cries 'New-born !' " 

I am quite sure we all have much to live for if we 
would only consider it thus, leaving self out more 
than we do. We have fathers and mothers, brothers 
and sisters, friends, relations and neighbors that we 
need to live for, and we ought to count this much. 
Our ardent desire should be to brighten their path- 
way and make them happy, giving them a foretaste 
of heaven on earth. 

Following is a little verse from my own pen 
which expresses my desire: — 

I like to strew sweet flowers 

Along the path of life 
To help some traveler onward 

In peace, and thro' all strife. 

I like to see him smiling 

With joy down in his soul ; 
And bravely pressing forward 

To life's eternal goal. 



190 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

And so I mean to help him 

To run a patient race, 
To reach his end successful, 

And heaven to be his place. 

Yes; we have much to live for, — ^home, country, 
the world, God, and a glorious and eternal heaven. 
And by strewing flowers, — flowers of helpfulness 
and cheerfulness along life's pathway, — we shall not 
have lived in vain, but the blessed goal will be ours 
some happy day. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE HAND OF HELPFULNESS. 

There is scarcely a grander mission on earth 
than that of helpfulness. To lend a helping hand to 
the man who is down is Christlike. Our dear Savior 
came into the world on a mission of helpfulness to 
poor dowTi-trodden, helpless humanity; to rescue 
them from sin and shame and misery and place them 
on a higher plane in life. He cam^e to "save that 
which was lost/' and none, however low and mean 
they were, were beneath His notice. He was always, 
and is still, willing to get beneath their burdens and 
help them up. He is known as the great "Burden 
Bearer." When on earth He "went about doing 
good;" went beneath the lowest, most degraded, de- 
bauched, demoralized, depraved and lifted them up 
out of the mire of sin and the "slough of despond," 
forgave them of their sins and said : "Go, and sin no 
more." Oh, what a Savior Ave have ! How we should 
love Him, serve Him, obey Him, trust Him, believe 
in Him, strive to live in the center of His will, and 
"follow where He leadeth," whether it be *%eside the 
still waters" or through the "green pastures" or 
along the rugged and stony pathway of a toilsome 
life! How we should strive to be like Him! We 
should be His angels of mercy on earth who do as 
He did by reaching dovm a hand of pity and lift up 

191 



192 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

the fallen, "rescue the perishing and care for the 
dying!" We need more good Samaritans in the 
world who look with a pitying heart upon him who 
has fallen by the wayside, who is unfortunate, who 
is dying for the need of a little "lift," a little sympa- 
thy, a little love, a little cheer, a little encourage- 
ment, and then lend a helping hand and lift him up 
in life and start him on his way rejoicing. By so 
doing we may open the way for him to a higher and 
better life ; to the clime of noble manhood, to right- 
eousness and godliness and to the Golden Gate of 
heaven. 

Paul said : "Bear ye one another's burdens, and 
so fulfill the law of Christ." Yes, this is the example 
and the law of Christ our Lord. And if we obey Him 
our mision will be a great blessing to the world. We 
will bear some one's burden who, through tempta- 
tions and mistakes, has fallen in the rut and is 
helplessly and hopelessly down. In the time of need 
we will prove to him that we are his friend, and that 
we have within our souls the Spirit of the blessed 
Christ. Though weak and faint-hearted he may be, 
we will direct his faltering steps to the cross of 
Christ and the Lover and Redeemer of fallen hu- 
manity. I have no doubt but that many precious 
souls, for the lack of a sweet word and a gentle and 
helping hand, have died in sin and were lost to all 
eternity. Oh, God, help us to help others 1 Give us 
the willing mind and the helping hand and the 
Christlike spirit ! * 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 193 

Following is a beautiful story which illustrates 
the lesson I am trying to teach you, dear reader, and 
1 pray that He may bless it to your good and to the 
salvation of souls : — 

A SOUL RECLAIMED. 

Only a tramp — a poor, unhappy creature, a bur- 
den to himself and a terror to others. He had slept 
on the hay in a farmer's barn, from which he had 
risen, before anyone was astir, stiff and unrefreshed; 
he had already been refused a breakfast two or three 
times ; but hardest to bear, he had been for twenty- 
four hours without a drink of liquor. 

He passed down the little incline in the road and 
paused by the brook. Its rush and tinkle as it skipp- 
ed down the stones and glided away under the 
grassy borders reminded him of the brook at the 
foot of the meadow w^hich he always crossed on his 
way to school. 

At this moment the sound of a horse's feet and 
the roll of wheels fell on his ear, and then a cheery 
voice saying: 

"Good morning, my friend. As we are traveling 
the same way, allow me to give you a lift." 

Friend, whose friend? He had been no man's 
friend, not even his own, for years, but he replied : 

"Thank you, I am not fit for a seat in your car- 
riage." 

The gentleman threw back his lap robe, saying, 
"I think Jack can take us both up the hill more easily 
than you can walk." 



194 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

Imipelled by the kind voice and magnetic smile, 
the tramp took the vacant ,seat, and they rode on in 
silence for awhile save some remark on the beauty 
of the morning. Just before them stood the long 
hill v^here the road v^ound up and up for nearly a 
mile. As they began the ascent they met a party of 
gentlemen coming down, all of whom greeted his 
companion in the most courteous manner, and as 
tliey passed them he asked : 

"Sir, are you not ashamed to be seen riding with 
a tramp?'* 

Never v^hile he lives will he forget the look in the 
fine dark eyes turned toward him as his unknov^n 
friend replied: 

'"'May I answer your question v^ith another? Will 
you tell me what made you a tramp?" 

^'Whiskey,'' w^as the brief answer. 

''Ah, he is a cruel master. How long have you 
served him?" 

*'I took my first drink of liquor at a class banquet 
seven years ago this month. The result is before 
you." 

''So you have given this hard master seven years 
of young manhood with all their glorious possibili- 
ties, your early hopes and ambitions for a noble, use- 
ful life, home, friends, happiness. And what have 
you in return?" 

The kindly interest in the voice and manner 
reached the heart of the poor tramp, and in a 
trembling voice he replied : 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 195 

* 'Nothing, sir, nothing. Brought up in a Chris- 
tian home, graduated with honor from college, mar- 
ried a lovely wife, whiskey has robbed me of every- 
thing and in return given me broken health, a ruin^ 
ed, disgraced manhood and the privilege of tramp- 
ing through the country, begging my bread from 
door to door." 

The eyes of the tramp were full of tears, his 
face quivering with grief. After a moment's si- 
lence the gentleman asked earnestly : 

"Have you had enough of this mistaken way of 
living? Do you want to try for a better life and 
make the effort to regain What you have lost?" 

''Do I want to do this? Oh, sir, does a sinner in 
hell want to enter heaven? But It is impossible. I 
am friendless and hopeless, too weak to depend on 
myself. From the depth to which I have fallen there 
is no way up." 

The gentleman laid one hand kindly on the ragged 
shoulder as he replied : 

"My poor boy, there is always a way up if one 
really desires to reform. The way may be rough 
and hard, but your heavenly Father stands with open 
arms to receive you if you but turn to Him, and all 
that a brother could do for you, I am here to do, to 
help you back to a sober manhood." 

Thus it came about that John Lester, no longer a 
tramp, entered the home of this good Samaritan 
and began his fight for life. It would be impossible 
to tell the agony of the months that followed^ — the 



196 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

constant struggle day and night with the terrible 
enemy, who sought in every way to overcome the 
weak will and weaker body; the tears and prayers 
and frantic clinging to the one friend who stood like 
a strong wall between him and utter hopelessness. 
Added to the constant struggle with this fearful ap- 
petite were haunting memories, like ghosts, contin- 
ually about him, memories of lost opportunties, blast- 
ed reputations, a broken-hearted mother, a deserted 
wife, and days and nights of debauchery so fearful 
that he trembled at the thought of them. At last, led 
by the kind hand that never faltered, sustained by 
the true heart that never failed him, he came up 
from the depths, and, trusting alone in the love of 
God to keep, began his new life. One bright day the 
forsaken wife, who although she had suffered much, 
was brave enough and loving enough to forgive, 
came to him, and together they went home and be- 
gan their united life again. 

The good Samaritan has gone to his reward. The 
good which he accomplished lives after him. Today 
John Lester is a noble Christian man caring for the 
friendless, lifting the fallen, binding up thei broken- 
hearted. There are none so lost or neglected but he 
has for them a helping hand, as he humbly strives 
from day to day to follow the grand life of Him who 
came into the world to save the sinner, even though 
he be "only a tramp." — Lael Clark, in Christian 
Herald, 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

''KEEPING one's LIFE IN TUNE.'' 

Keeping one's life in tune is no idle man's job. It 
is accomplished only by the busy man who is con- 
stantly at work, and in Whom the Holy Spirit also 
works. The man and his Maker together, in co-oper- 
ation from day to day, only produce sweet and con- 
tinual harmony. Man left to himself will never keep 
life in harmony. There w^ll be jarring of life's 
strings and a discord that tells itself in different 
ways. The temper wdll rise too high which will 
cause an unlovely sound. Some unkind act will man- 
ifest itself; some word unfitly spoken will escape 
our lips ; some anger will arise that spoils the sweet- 
ness of the moment or the hour, or perhaps the 
day; some strife; some passion; some desire; some 
temperament; some untruth, dishonesty or evil in 
some way will spring up which requires the skilful- 
ness of the Divine hand to bring into accord. 

There is always something to do to keep our- 
selves sweet, to keep right, to live in harmony with 
our Master, and bring forth our best and noblest fa- 
cilities. Idleness will never accomplish this, neither 
will carelessness and negligence ; but constant pray- 
erfulness, culture, and the exercise of our faith with 
our lives fully abiding in Jesus Christ alone pro- 
duces the sw^eetest music of life. *'And besides this, 

197 



198 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard, 

giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue ; and to 
virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; 
and to temperance patience; and to patience godli- 
ness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to 
brotherly kindness charity. For if these things he in 
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither 
be barren (or idle) nor unfruitful in the knowledge 

of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore the 

rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling 
and election sure : for if ye do these things, ye shall 
never fall : for an entrance shall be ministered unto 
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Pet. 1 :5-ll. 

Keeping our lives in tune — ^what a great task and 
how faithfully we should work at it! And in order 
to attain our sweetest harmony we must get alone 
with God very often and linger long in His presence. 
We must dwell *'in the secret place of the Most 
High," and we shall come forth with sweet music fill- 
ing our souls and thrilling our lives. When we get 
out of tune we should go to our Father in secret until 
He restores sweet harmony in our lives. God, tune 
our lives until they are in accord with Thine own 
good and holy life, and enable us to so live that we 
may sing with the choir celestial some sweet diay 
**Ju;st Over The Stars" for Jesus' sake ! 

Dear reader, following is a selection, in connec- 
tion with what I have written, which I hope will do 
you good. May Jesus bless it to your lives and even 
bless you as you read it: — 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 199 

KEEPING one's LIFE IN TUNE. 

Pianos have to be kept in tune. Every now and 
then the tuner comes and goes over all the strings, 
keying them up, so that there will be no discords 
when the instrument is played. Our lives have a 
great many more strings than a piano, and much 
more easily get out of tune. Then they begin to 
make discords, and the music is spoiled. We need 
to watch them carefully to keep their strings always 
up to concert pitch. 

One way in which a piano is put out of tune is by 
use. The constant striking of the strings stretches 
them and they need to be keyed up from time to 
time. Life's common experiences have an exhaust- 
ing effect. We have our daily struggles, temptations, 
burdens, cares, duties, and at the close of the day we 
are tired, and the music our life makes is naturally 
not as sweet as it was in the morning. Night has a 
blessed ministry in renewing our physical vitality so 
that our bodies are ready with the new day for its 
new service. And the songfulness of life is far 
more dependent on bodily condition than we dream 
of. It is much easier to be joyous and sweet when 
we are fresh and strong than when we are jaded and 
weary. 

But the body is not all. We are made for com- 
munion with God. We need also to come into His 
presence at the end of the day to be spiritually re- 
newed. The other day a young woman, whose work 
is very hard, with long hours and incessant pres- 



200 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

sure, took a little time from her noon hour to call 
upon an older friend, saying: '1 felt that if I could 
see you for five minutes for an encouraging word, 
I could get through the afternoon better." What is 
true of a human friend, is true yet more of God. If 
we can get a little w^hile with Him v/hen we are 
weary, when our strength is running low, our life 
will be put in tune so that the music will be sweet 
again. We cannot afford to live a day without com- 
munion wdth Christ. 

Another way in which a piano is put out of tune 
is by disuse. If it is kept closed its strings will loGe 
their tone. It is the same way with our lives. They 
keep in tune best when they are fully occupied. It 
is a law of nature that a power not used wastes — at 
length it dies out. This is true of all our faculties. 
Musicians can maintain their skill only by constant 
practice. A great pianist said that if he missed his 
hours at his instrument for three days, the public 
would know it ; if for two days, his friends would be 
aware of it ; and that if he failed in his practice even 
for one day, he himself would be conscious of it. 

If we would keep our life in tune w^e must not al- 
low its powers to lie unused. We make the sweetest 
music when we are living at our best. An idle man 
is never truly happy, nor is he the best maker of hap- 
piness for others. We learn to love more by loving. 
We g'et more joyous by rejoicing. If we cease to be 
kind it shows in the tone of our life as others know 
us. If for only a day we fail in showing kindness, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 201 

our hand will lose something of its skill in life's 
sweet ministry. 

A piano is put out of tune also by misuse. A skill- 
ful musician may spend hours in playing without af- 
fecting the tone of any of the strings, while inexpe- 
rienced and unskillful playing jangles the cord and 
makes the instrument incapable of producing sweet 
musical effects. Many people so misuse and abuse 
their life that they destroy its power to give out 
sweetness. The consequences of sin are not merely 
the breaking of Divine law ; every sin leaves marring 
and hurt in the life of him who commits it. 

Every time we violate our conscience or resist the 
Divine will we lower the moral tone of our being. 
In the song, the bird with the broken wing never 
soared so high again. 

If we would keep our life in tune, so that it will 
make sweet music every day and wherever we go, we 
must shun the things that are wrong and do always 
the things that are right. 

Musicians have a standard pitch by Which they 
tune all their instruments. The standard for our 
lives is the will of God. The word of God gives us 
the key-note. Our lives will make music only when 
they are in harmony with God. 

Jesus Himself said: "I do always those things 
that please Him." 

As a result. He said that the Father never left 
Him alone. Our lives are in tune just so far as they 
are in harmony with God's commandments. "Near- 



202 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

er, my God, to Thee" is a prayer for tlie lifting of 
our spirits into such relations with God that the 
communion between Him and us shall be perfect and 
unbroken. 

The bringing of the powers of our own life into 
tune is really the great problem of all spiritual cul- 
ture. While the audience is waiting for the concert 
to begin, they hear a strange clangor back of the 
scenes. The instruments are brought into accord. 
At first they are far apart, but in a little time they 
are all in perfect harmony. Then the music begins. 
Each human life is a whole orchestra in itself. But 
is not in tune, and before we can begin to make sweet 
music, all its many chords must be brought into har- 
mony. 

This is the work of spiritual culture. It is 
achieved only by the submission of the Whole life to 
God. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN. 

^'Rejoice, young man in thy youth; and let thy 
heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk 
in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine 
eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God 
will bring thee into judgment. 

"Therefore remove sorrow (or anger) from thy 
heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for child- 
hood and youth are vanity." — Eccl. 11:9, 10. 

Dear young men, I would like to have a little talk 
with you through The Quiet Comer this week and 
shall ask you to please give a few minutes of your 
time and I shall try to interest you the best I can 
and meanwhile say something that shall be beneficial 
to you in life. Plrst, I want you to know that I have 
an interest in your life and welfare, both for this 
world and the world to come. My mission in life is 
for others, and those who know me personally can 
testify to this fact. Fve given myself to Jesus to 
serve Him, and in so doing I must serve others, and 
I trust that my service shall bless many and bring 
glory to our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Young men, the future success of our country de- 
pends greatly upon you. Our country's life is much 
dependent upon you, whether it be good or evil. Your 
individual life is counting for just that kind of life 

203 



204 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

our country is living to a very considerable extent, 
and what kind of a life are you living? Are you liv- 
ing for God and righteousness, or for Satan and un- 
righteousness ? It is counting one way or the other. 
You are acting some part. You are either contri' ~ 
uting for the good of the world or for the evil and 
downpull. And if you accomplish nothing more than 
to live a good life without even doing great deeds 
you accomplish great things. You are helping to 
seal the country's character and fix her destiny. Yes, 
you are doing all this, for better or for worse, and 
thus fixing your own too. 

"Little by little, sure and slow, 

We fashion our future of weal or woe, 

Little by little, day by day." 

We might say again with the poet : 

"Lives of great men all remind us 
We can make our lives sublime. 
And departing, leave behind us. 
Footprints on the sands of time." 

And if, then, the lives of great men remind us 
that we can make our lives noble, beneficial and sub- 
lime, the lives of evil, wicked men remind us that we 
can miake our lives low and base and ruinous. We 
can be just about what we desire to be. If we want 
to be good and upright and Christlike we can, by giv- 
ing ourselves over to Christ and following in His 
steps. If we want to be sinful and a disadvantage 
to the cause of God, or our country, and the right- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 205 

eousness that lifts one heavenward and makes him 
saintly, we can. Our blessed Master said: ''He that 
is not with me is against me : and he that gathereth 
not with me scattereth." (Luke 11 :23) . 

Now which are you doing, gathering with Jesus 
or scattering? You are doing one or the other, and 
the Lord is going to hold you responsible for it and 
reward you accordingly. To scatter against Jesus 
means much, and no one can afford to do it, but men 
do so many things they can't afford to if only they 
would consider it. We should think enough of Jesus 
Christ, His people and ourselves to do the right. 
Right alone is going to stand forever. Wrong shall 
come to naught and the wrong-doers and wicked 
punished. Our desire and business should be to live 
right, fill our place in the world as best we can, and 
if we are unable to do much good v/e should do at 
least a little and make the world some better by our 
having lived. Life then will not be spent in vain. 

Of the one who is living for God it is said : 
"There is that scattereth, (in righteousness, peace, 
love and goodness of course) and yet increaseth; (in 
godliness,) and there is that withholdeth more than 
is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." (Prov. 11:24). 
Now which of these classes do you represent, the 
one that gathers with Jesus, or the one that scatters 
against Him ? young man, take heed to your ways, 
if it is the way of evil ! It is also the way of death, 
and you are leading somebody else the same way too. 
"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that 



206 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 
4:18). It is so much better to be in the path of the 
just than the path of the wicked. In the path of 
righteousness one is as a shining light for God and 
humanity, but in the path of evil one is as a darkness 
to the world. His life is destructive. People stum- 
ble over their sins and evil lives and fall into perdi- 
tion. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of 
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Ps. 
1:1). Is this text to you "blessed," because you are 
walking in the paths of righteousness and living in 
harmony with God? 

Let us notice again the text which we quoted at 
the beginning of this discourse: "Rejoice, young 
man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in 
the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine 
heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but know thou, 
that for all these things God will bring thee into 
judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, 
and put away evil from thy flesh : for childhood and 
youth are vanit\^" 

To some it might appear that the text is ad- 
vising the young man to do as he pleases, for it says : 
"Lret thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, 
and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight 
of thine eyes." The writer does not mean, however, 
to advise the young man to live just as he pleases, 
to choose evil if he wants to and to gratify the de- 
sires O'f the heart in lust and passion. He knew the 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 207 

young man could choose to do so if he would, that 
he is his own free moral agent to decide between 
good and evil, right and wrong, and that the natural 
inclination of life is to choose sin rather than right- 
eousness, and to walk in the ways of the heart and 
in the sight of the eyes. Then he says : ''But KNOW 
thou (if you choose evil, if you v^alk in the ways of 
sin, if you give yourself up to lust and its gratifica- 
tion, to walk in the ways of your heart and the sight 
of your eyes) that for ALL THESE THINGS God 
will bring thee into judgment." You can take the 
right or you can take the wrong, you can decide for 
God or you can decide for the devil, ("choose you 
this day whom ye will serve") you can obey God or 
you can disobey Him, you can choose the gaieties and 
frivolities of the world, or the pure, wholesome 
things of the Holy Spirit, you can do here largely 
just about as you will to, but be assured that for 
these things God will bring you into judgment. You 
shall receive your reward. If you choose to go in the 
w^ays of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, to 
live a sinful ''do-as-you-please" life, then you v^ill 
have to take the consequences. You shall have to 
reap what you sow, and suffer for wrong doing. 

Here comes in the advice then of the writer, and 
good it is: ''Therefore remove sorrow from thy 
heart, AND PUT AWAY EVIL FROM THY 
FLESH: for childhood and youth are vanity." It 
soon passes away, and the more responsible things 
of life devolve upon us. And we need to begin life 



208 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard, 

right so we can end it right. Therefore, young 
man, 

"Grandly begin ! though thou have time 
For but one deed, be that sublime ; 
Not failure, but low aim is crime." 

If you would be successful and happy afterwards, 
and your life a blessing to your country, put away 
evil from your life in the days of youth. Do ri^iit, 
love righteousness, "grandly begin" by serving God 
and you'll never regret it. "Remember now thy Cre- 
ator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days 
come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt 
say, I have no pleasure in them." (Eccl. 12:1.) If 
you forget God in your youthful days you will, in all 
probability, not remember Him in after life tO' do 
His will ; for as we begin life commonly do we end 
life. Hence with many who have failed in the world, 
and are without God and hope, is that they forgot 
Him in their youthful days; and as they sit in the 
ruins of a misspent life, with opportunities gone, 
hopes blasted, the bloom and strength of youth van- 
ished, with no hope of ever recalling the past and 
living life over again, they can say with the poet : 
''Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, 
The saddest are these : IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN." 

Therefore, young man, so live that life will be a 
blessing to you and your countryy, and bring honor 
and glory to God our Father. "Let your light so 
shine before men, that they may see your good 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 209 

works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'* 
(Matt. 5:16). "Let no man despise thy youth; (be- 
cause you are spending it in sin) but be thou an 
example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in 
charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 4:12.) 
"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them 
that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure ; but 
even their mind and conscience is defiled." (Titus 
1:15). Again, listen and TAKE HEED to this ad- 
vice: "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow right- 
eousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on 
the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Tim. 2:22). If, 
however, you have sinned and come short of God's 
glory in your youthful days, repent and pray with 
the Psalmist : "Remember not the sins of my youth, 
nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy re- 
member thou me for thy goodness' sake, Lord." 
(Psalm 25:7). 

Then say with the poet from a sincere heart of 
truth and honesty: 

"Build thee more stately mansions, 

my soul." 
For we are very well aware that 
"All are architects of fate 

Working in these walls of time," 

and building for eternity, whether a good or bad 
structure. young man, you are building for your- 
self a character, and what kind is it? Do you have 
a model, a pattern, and an ideal of worthiness and 



210 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Christlikeness that you are fashioning from and 
striving to measure up to? Or is it that you are 
only building upon the unsound, unsafe, unworthy 
evils so prevalent in the v^orld? Will your building 
stand or v^ill it fall ? If founded upon Christ it will 
stand and endure every test, but if founded upon sin 
it will fall, be assured of this. Be careful what kind 
of material you use in life's structure. Each day 
you are building, and so take heed how you build, up- 
on whom you build, whether Christ or Satan, and 
what you are building out of. 

"Our todays and yesterdays 

Are the blocks by which we build." 

If you have fallen into evils, young man, 
cleanse your way, repent of your sins, and follow 
Christ. The Psalmist asks the question: ''Where- 
withal shall a young man cleanse his way?" then He 
goes on to answer it, saying : *'by taking heed there- 
to according to thy word." (Psa. 119:9). So the 
question we would ask you is. Have you taken heed 
according to God's word? If not, you should while 
young more especially than at any other time in life 
and spend your life in righteousness. Today make 
your peace, "calling and election sure" with Gk)d. 
Tomorrow may be too late. We know not what a 
day may bring forth. Remember God to do His will 
in your youthful days. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 
ADVICE TO GIRLS. 

"Keep thyself pure."— 1 Tim. 5 :22. 

In the first place let us study the text — ^''Keep 
thyself pure." While this was written by Paul to 
Timothy as advice to him, yet it is just as important 
for us today — as important for women as well as 
men. And I know of no better text in the Bible to 
preach to you, young girls, than ''Keep thyself pure." 
If you keep pure, your life will be a blessing to oth- 
ers, an honor to God, and heaven will be your home 
at last ''in the sweet bye and bye." Jesus Himself 
said : "Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall 
see God." (Matt. 5:8). Mark you, "they SHALL 
see God." Now is that not a precious promise ? Is it 
not worth while then to live a clean life and have a 
pure heart so we can see God ? 

• "Keey thyself pure." Nothing is so becoming to 
you as to keep pure. It is the greatest and most 
to be desired, since one must necessarily have Christ 
in the heart to be pure, and "where Jesus is 'tis 
heaven there." 

It is not the fine and costly apparel you may 
clothe yourself with, the fine jewelry you may wear, 
the good manners you may use, the etiquette that 
may be yours that make life beautiful, worthy, 
blessed and worth while so much, but it is your puri- 

211 



212 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

ty. The most becoming possession of a girl's life, 
and that which commends her to the world and God, 
is her purity. If the girls of this land would live 
pure lives I do not know what would do more to- 
ward winning the world for God. Purity is power. 
Purity is wealth, and the world can't gainsay it. 
Purity is beauty. Purity is Christlike and attracts 
toward God and righteousness, leading sinners to 
the *'Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the 
world.'' 

Girls, "keep thyself pure" above all things. If 
you lose your purity you lose life's most cherished 
and precious possession. Love purity. And if you 
should lose it through misfortune strive to gain it 
again. Whatever you do ''keep thyself pure" by liv- 
ing close to Jesus Christ, and following in His steps, 
and having His grace in your heart. ''Keep thyself 
pure" wherever you go, whatever position you fill. 

Cherish your character above all things and keep 
it unspotted from the world by walking close to 
God. Solomon said: ''A good name is rather to be 
chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather 
than silver and gold." (Pro v. 22:1). If you are in 
possession of a good character cling to it. It is worth 
more than riches, and is more to be desired. A poor 
girl can keep herself pure, have a good name, and 
thus own what is worth more than great riches, be- 
cause character can never be purchased with money. 
Keeping yourself pure makes you rich — rich in influ- 
ence, rich in blessing others, rich in peace, rich in 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 213 

joy, rich in righteousness, rich in spirituality, and 
finally rich in the glories of heaven and the bliss of 
angels- 

A poor girl is rich whose life is pure, whose char- 
acter is unspotted, and a rich girl is poor whose life 
is impure, unholy and is spotted with sin and the 
evils of the world. Let every girl consider it thus. 
"What is your life?" We can't measure ourselves 
by what we possess of the world, but we must meas- 
ure ourselves by what we are. God doesn't regard 
one for his wealth, but for his goodness. The rich 
man went to hell regardless of all his riches, but 
Lazarus went to heaven regardless of all his pover- 
ty, because he was a good man and served God, and 
the rich man didn't. 

**What is your life?" It is what you make ft. 
You mould your own character and fix your own 
destiny. You fill your ovm. place in the world, 
whether right or wrong, whether worthily or un- 
worthily. You make your own name and build your 
own character. No one else does it for you. They 
may help or hinder you to an extent, but YOU are 
the main factor in it, the main builder. 
"All are architects of fate. 
Working in these walls of time." 

Then why not be a master-builder, building in 
righteousness, truth, peace, love, honesty, holiness 
and Christlikeness, and build for God and heaven 
and immortal life and happiness ? Why not put into 
your life the best material and build a structure 



214 Life's Beautihil Way Heavenward. 

that shall stand forever? Whatever we are building 
into life and building upon is to determine what we 
are to be. Each one is to be tested, and let us so 
build with the best material, and having Jesus as 
our pattern and director, that we may stand the test 
of every examination, being "rooted and grounded 
in Christ." 

'*'Keep thyself pure/' Keep in the way of holi- 
ness. Remember that ''the path of the just is as the 
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the 
perfect day." (Prov. 4:18). Be careful what gets 
into your heart. Solomon gives wonderful advice on 
this. He says: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; 
for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov. 4:23). 
That is, keep your heart "above all keeping," be- 
cause from it issue your deeds and actions and con- 
duct in life, whether good or bad. Also keep your 
mind pure. Think good thoughts that will build you 
up mentally, physically and spiritually. "For to be 
carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually 
minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind 
is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the 
law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom. 8:6-7). 
"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are 
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever 
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, what- 
soever things are of good report ; if there be any vir- 
tue, and if there be any praise, think on these 
things." (Phil. 4:8). Employ your mind for God. 
Think good thoughts and live pure lives. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 215 

Again, "keep thyself pure." Be careful what 
kind of company you keep. Many a nice, beautiful, 
pure girl has lost her character, the jewel of her life, 
by getting into bad company. You can't long keep 
pure and upright and keep bad company. Some- 
one has said: ''Tell me with whom you associate and 
I'll tell you w^ho you are." There is lots of meaning 
and truth in this. We are known by the company we 
keep. It is an old but true saying, ''Birds of a feath- 
er flock together.' The Bible tells us to : "Be not de- 
ceived : evil communications corrupt good manners." 
(1 Cor. 15:33). Perhaps the new version is plain- 
er: '*Evil com^panionships corrupt good morals." 
Then "awake to righteousness, and sin not." 

Young girls, your character, godliness and purity 
is your crowning beauty and excellence. Then 
guard it carefully. To you it should be "a pearl of 
great price." Be careful what young man you keep 
company with. He should be honest, good and up- 
right. You can't afford to frequent the company of 
a young man who drinks, or takes God's precious 
name in vain, or plays cards, or visits places of ill 
fame, or whose life is evil and whose character is 
spotted. No, you should hold yourself higher. 

The young man who doesn't walk uprightly, and 
who would treat you wrong before you marry him 
will treat you wTong afterwards. You can't afford 
to trust him. If he would offer a wrong, promising 
you he w^ould marry you, beware of him. No gentle- 
man, no Christian, will do so. He seeks to destroy 



216 Life's BeanUfid Way Heavenward, 

your character, and you need to guard your life, 
guard your character as a "pearl of great price." He 
is not the right man or he would regard you as a 
lady, reverence your character and want you to be 
innocent and spotless. His life is not pure and hon- 
est and upright or he would not offer an impure, 
unholy thing. 

You want to estimate your life and character and 
your Christian integrity above everything. You 
can't afford to place your life in care of a man that 
is wicked, vile, sinful. You need not cherish the hope 
of reforming him afterward. It might be done, but 
you can't afford to risk it. Let this be done first, and 
you should know it is done. If you marry a man 
hoping to reform him. Christianize him, the proba- 
bility is the reforming will take place the other way. 
He may bring you down to sin and sorrow instead 
of your bringing him up to goodness, righteousness, 
integrity and a noble standard of manhood. He may 
reform you from virtue and righteousness to evil 
and ungodlinesis. The Bible says: "Be ye not un- 
equally yoked together with unbelievers: for what 
fellowship hath righteousness and unrighteousness? 
and what communion hath light with darkness? And 
what concord hath Christ with Belial ? or what part 
hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor. 6: 
14, 15). Now which are you going to obey or yield 
to, man or God? Which are you going to follow, 
Christ or Satan, the good spirit or the evil? 

Your life is too precious to be entrusted into the 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 217 

hands of a wicked man. He'll rob you, or the likeli- 
hood is he will, of your virtue, if you are virtuous, 
take from you your happiness, cause your womanli- 
ness to fade as a flower, and make life miserable. 
You may love him, but it is better to refrain from 
attaching yourself to him. You'll suffer less by do- 
ing so, although you may be sorrowful for a while. 
But sorrow, when we do right and follow God, will 
pass away ; but if one does wrong to appease sorrow 
it only increases it. It's better for a girl to live an 
old maid than to marry a wild, sinful man that will 
abuse her and make life miserable. Many girls have 
realized this when it was too late. No doubt some- 
one is reading these lines who knows it is only too 
true in their case. 

"Keep thyself pure." Follow in the footsteps of 
Jesus. *Tor even hereunto were ye called : because 
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us a-n example, 
that ye should follow in His steps,'* (1 Pet. 2:21). 
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will 
give grace and glory : no good thing will he withhold 
from them that walk uprightly." (Ps. 84:11). '*Who 
shall ascend into the hills of the Lord ? or who shall 
stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands 
and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul 
unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive 
the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from 
the God of his salvation." (Psalm 24 :3-5) . 

Girls, "keep thyself pure." Guard the pearl of 
your innocence. Avoid those things and shun those 



218 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

places that would bring reproach upon your charac- 
ter. "Cease to do evil, learn to do well." Love the 
society and the companionship that is upbuilding 
and ennobling. "Now the God of hope fill you with 
all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound 
in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." 
(Rom. 15 :13) . "Grace he unto you, and peace, from 
God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." 
"Keep thyself pure." 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Dear reader, we want to talk for a little while on 
a very sweet and consoling subject, na.mely, the 
grace of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
We believe it would take a long time and much space 
to do the subject justice, therefore we must confine 
ourselves to the main branch of the su1)ject and say 
some things, we hope, to the point in a brief way, 
yet we trust will be well said, by the help of the 
Lord, and will enable us to get some thought that 
will be very beneficial. 

In the first place we believe there is no one who 
can tell all about the grace of Jesus, even though he 
may be experiencing it fully and delightfully in his 
soul, because the grace of Christ is so rich and won- 
derful that language fails to describe it. We can en- 
joy it in our souls ; can have it as a rich and sweet 
and blessed experience, day after day ; can possess it 
as a priceless treasure and as a boon and as a suste- 
nance of spiritual life, but like many other experi- 
ences we only know that it is ours, and when that is 
said we can say but little more. In fact, we can say 
nothing more that is more sweet and wonderful and 
blessed. 

The grace of Jesus is His Divine mercy and fa- 
vor and love toward His people, those who fear Him 

219 



220 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 

and keep His commandmenits. Were it not for this 
we would be in a pitiable and hopeless condition, 
groping our way through life without a sunbeam to 
lighten and brighten and cheer the way in which we 
travel. The wretched and miserable sinner hears 
the words: ''By grace are ye saved through faith; 
and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of God," and 
it sends a thrill of hope through the soul to realize 
that he, though ''dead in trespasses and in sins," is 
not shut out from Divine mercy, but that it reaches 
all classes and all kinds of people on the globe. For 
we read that God is "longsuffering to us-ward, not 
willing that any should perish, but that all should 
come to repentance." 2 Pet. 3:9. And, then, when 
the sinner yields to the gentle and tender wooings 
of the Holy Spirit, and surrenders himself com- 
pletely, soul and body and all to the Christ of our sal- 
vation, he feels the sacred cleansing power of God 
pass through the very soul and knows that he is re- 
deemed from sin by the blood of Calvary's Lamb, 
and he can then truthfully say : "Bless the Lord, 
my soul, for I'm redeemed, I'm saved, I'm set free 
by the Truth, and my soul is rejoicing in the Lord. 
I'm a new-born creature in Christ, — praise His dear 
name !" Then can he truthfully say with the poet, — 

"Amazing grace ! how sweet the sound 
That saved a wretch like me ! 

I once was lost, but now am found, 
Was blind, but now I see." 
And as he goes on serving and living for the Lord 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 221 

he realizes that the grace by which he was saved, 
was redeemed from sin and ruin, is sufficient to keep 
and sustain him in every trial, on every battle field, 
in every conflict and ordeal through which he passes. 
Even amid the bitterest moments of life, when temp- 
tations and persecutions arise, when the cross seems 
heavy to bear, and the mountain is steep to ascend, 
and the foe is pressing close upon him and waging a 
desperate fight, he leans sweetly and comfortably 
and with perfect self-control upon "the everlasting 
arms/' and his very soul melts into joy as he sings, 
trustingly, truthfully, and confidently: 

"Through many dangers, toils and snares, 

I have already come : 
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far. 

And grace will lead me home. 

"The Lord has promised good to me, 

His word my hope secures; 
He will my shield and portion be 

As long as life endures." 

Then he takes "the sword of the Spirit, which is 
the word of God," and reviews again the precious 
promises of the Father. He reads what the Lord Je- 
sus said to Paul when he prayed thrice that the 
thorn might be removed from his flesh : "My grace 
is sufficient for thee." He knows that God is no re- 
specter of persons, and that there "is no variable- 
ness, neither shadow of turning" with God; that He 
"is the same yesterday, and today, and forever," and 



222 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

that if His grace was sufficient for Paul it certainly 
is sufficient for him. Again he reads: 'Tear thou 
not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I am 
thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; 
yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of 
my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10. And perhaps 
through his tear-bedimmed eyes he reads these 
sweet and consoling words of the Master : "Lo, I am 
with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
Praise God ! 

As the "follower of the Lamb" goes on trusting 
in Him he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt and 
most assuredly that *'The Lord is nigh unto them 
that are of a broken heart ; and saveth such as be of 
a contrite spirit." He realizes by actual experiences 
that the Lord is strong to deliver His people, and 
that He, too, is a "very present help in trouble." And 
again he reads : "We have not an high priest which 
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; 
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet 
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the 
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find 
grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15, 16. 
Again, he reads the comforting words: "In that he 
himself (Jesus Christ) hath suffered being tempted, 
he is able to succor them that are tempted." He- 
brews 2:18. Then he turns to one of the sweetest, 
most blessed promises in the sacred old Book and 
reads: "There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as is common to man : but God is faithful, who 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 223 

WLIL NOT suffer you to be tempted above that ye 
are able; but will with the temptation also make a 
way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 
Cor. 10:13. Then he lays aside the precious Vol- 
ume, drops upon his knees and thanks the Father 
for all these sweet, comforting, soul-cheering prom- 
ises, prays fervently that he may be kept in the hol- 
low of His hand, in the straight and narrow way; 
that his foot-steps may be planted, day after day, to- 
ward the celestial city of God, eternal in the heav- 
ens; and with a simple, child-like faith he arises 
with every doubt and fear removed and banished, 
and still clinging more closely and firmly to the Rock 
of Ages he exclaims with the poet, — 

"My heavenly home is bright and fair, 

I feel like traveling on ; 
No pain nor death can enter there, 

I feel like traveling on.*' 

Thus the child of God goes on with victory in his 
soul, realizing that "The angel of the Lord encamp- 
eth round about them that fear him, and delivereth 
them." Psalm 34:7. Though storms may howl and 
rage, foes may besiege, severe persecutions may 
have to be endured, his faith may be tried in the fiery 
furnace or the lion's den, yet the child of God stands 
undaunted and unshaken like the solid rock at whose 
base the surging billows roll. The child of God rides 
the tempest-tossed sea of life safely and securely and 
confidently, and rests as sweetly and nestles as hap- 



224 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

pily in the Savior's arms as the innocent babe that 
rests on mother's breast; for he knows that round 
about him are ''the everlasting arms." Hence he 
can say with the Psalmist : *'I will fear no evil : for 
thou art with me." 

Then if asked why life to him is so sweet, and 
fear, worry and dread seem never to trouble and an- 
noy him, he replies: "The Lord is for me and with 
me, and His grace sustains me. This accounts for 
it all, — praise God !" Yes, "glory to His name" for- 
ever. 

*The Lord has promised good to me, 
His word my hope secures ; 

He will my shield and portion be. 
As long as life endures." 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
LET US FORGET. 

There are many things in life that should be for- 
gotten, and to forget them is a noble trait of char- 
acter. The apostle Paul said : 'This one thing I do, 
forgetting those things which are behind, and reach- 
ing forth unto those things which are before, I 
press toward the mark for the prize of the high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3 :13, 14. Our 
lives will never be perfect, and we will never meas- 
ure up to the fulness of real and genuine Christiani- 
ty, and will never be really happy, until we learn 
and strive to forget "those things v/hich are behind." 
We can never "rejoice evermore," nor be noble- 
hearted and sweet-spirited, with unpleasant things 
in our memory that should be forgotten, and forgot- 
ten forever. It should be a part of our business, a 
part of our life, to forget the things that are un- 
pleasant and would hinder us from being good and 
sweet and gentle and Christlike. With our minds 
filled with bitter memories and our heart filled with 
malice we are most miserable creatures. Hence the 
necessity of forgetting. 

If someone has spoken unkindly or talked idly 
about us in the by-gone days, let us forget it. If 
someone has done us a wrong deed, let us forget it. 
If someone has persecuted us and cast our name out 

225 



226 Life's Beautifid Way Heavenward, 

as evil, let us forget it. If someone has scorned us, 
let us forget it. If someone has wronged us, op- 
pressed us, misjudged us, hated us, let us forget it. 
Rememiber Jesus said: "Love your enemies, bless 
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, 
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and 
persecute you; that ye m^ay be the children of your 
Father which is in heaven." Matt. 5:44, 45. Oh, 
reader, it means much indeed to measure up to this 
Scripture by putting it into actual practice! Ask 
yourself the question: Am I doing this? Am I 
obeying His commands and following '*in His steps?'* 
Have I denied myself the inclinations of my own 
stubborn will and the things that are of the flesh 
and the devil, and am I taking up my cross "daily'* 
and following Him? If you are not doing these 
things you are not His disciple. 

Whether it be our own mistakes and evils and 
blunders and shortcomings, (and all of us have 
them), after we have got forgiveness, let us forget 
them. Or whether it be the evils, sins, crimes, weak- 
nesses and wrongs and failures of others, let us for- 
get them; and with the apostle Paul, "reach forth 
unto those things which are before," and with an 
honest heart "press toward the mark for the prize of 
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." There are 
too many good and sweet and important things with 
which we can fill our minds, and which will enable us 
to be Christlike, for us to remember and re- 
flect on those things in the past that are bitter and 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 227 

have a tendency to stand between us and God, and 
make life sour, and darken the way that leads to 
things heavenly and Divine. Oh, let us forget them ! 
Jesus, blessed Jesus, help us to forget them for Thy 
**name's sake." 

As Henry W. Longfellow has said, — 

''Let the dead past bury its dead; 
Act, act, in the living present. 
Heart within and God o'er head." 

To forgive one another and then forget that 
which we have forgiven is Christlike. To forget th 
bad and remember the good is a characteristic we 
should long and pray to have, and never feel satis- 
fied until we are in possession of it. In order to be 
successful we must ''lay aside every weight and the 
sin that doth so easily beset us, and run with pa- 
tience the race that is set before us, looking unto Je^ 
sus the author and finisher of our faith." 

The following beautiful lines, by Susan E. Gam- 
mon in the Christian Advocate, are not out of place 
just here : — 

"Let us forget the things that vexed and tried us, 
The worrying things that caused our souls to fret; 
The hopes that, cherished long, were still denied us 
Let us forget. 

"Let us forget the little slights that pained us. 
The greater wrongs that rankle sometimes yet; 
The pride with which some lofty one disdained us 
Let us forget. 



228 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

*'*Let us forget our brother's fault and failing, 
The yielding to temptation that beset, 
That he perchance, though grief be unavailing, 
Cannot forget. 

"But blessing manifold, past all deserving, 
Kind vv^ords and helpful deeds a countless throng. 
The fault o'ercome, the rectitude unswerving. 
Let us remember long. 

''The sacrifice of love, the generous giving. 

Where friends were few, the handclasp warm and 

strong. 
The f ragrannce of each life of holy living. 
Let us remember long*. 

"Whatever things were good and true and gracious, 
Whatever of right has triumphed over wrong. 
What love of Grod or man has rendered precious, 
Let us remember long.'' 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

"PICK YOURSELF UP/' 

In his book entitled ''Character Sketches" Dr. 
Lofton has a chapter headed 'Tick Yourself Up." 
The book itself is full of real, good, common sense 
and is a master-piece from a great and good man, 
and is well worthy to be read and studied. This 
particular chapter, "Pick Yourself Up," is what we 
have selcted as a subject for the Quiet Comer this 
week, and we believe it is very appropriate for a 
number of our readers. Some are down in life, we 
presume, and need to pick themselves up and be men 
and women who may be a blessing to themselves 
and others. 

In this chapter of which we speak there is a pic- 
ture, illustrative of the subject. It shows a man 
who is down, or has been, and is recovering himself 
and rising. 'WTiatever his mistfortune may have 
been we do not know, but evidently he has been un- 
fortunate. In his case whoever was to blame for his 
fallen and unfortunate condition we cannot say, 
but probably himself mostly, as is commonly the 
case with the fallen, while no doubt others had quite 
a part in it, which is also commonly true. There are 
som.e characters around the man trying to hold him 
down even in his endeavors to rise. This pictures 
the lives of many people. When anyone has fallen 

229 



230 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

in life, whether by their own sins and misconduct, 
or by that of others with whom they have associated, 
and then try to rise again there is some character 
that will try to hold them down. Somebody with 
prejudice, envy, m'alice or jealousy will oppose them, 
and if possible hinder them from regaining their 
feet and rising to some honorable position and place 
in life in the social, financial, business, or spiritual 
world. And if I mistake not, some are helping the 
man to rise. 

However, the man is picking himself up. He's 
rising in spite of those who oppose him, because 
he has the will to do it, the desire to be a useful man, 
a purpose in life worth while, and God and justice 
and right are for him to help lift him up. In spite 
of obstacles and oppositions, surroundings and poor 
opportunities, the unfortunate man or woman, boy 
or girl can rise in life, if only they try with all their 
might, especially by yielding themselves to God. All 
the devils can't keep the person down who submits 
himself entirely to our heavenly Father whose pur- 
pose it is to rescue and save. The unfortunate may 
not gain any great standing in the world, and yet 
he may ; he may not have any special degree of suc- 
cess in the matters and affairs of this world, and 
yet he may; but he can have the approval of God 
in his life, the grace of Jesus in his soul, victory 
over the world and the devil, and go to heaven when 
he dies, which is best of all, and be fortunate for- 
ever. He can pick himself up, and it is the will of 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 231 

God that he do so, and He stands ever ready to reach 
to him a helping hand. In sympathy and love our 
Father in heaven condescends to the most degraded, 
offcast, forsaken, unfortunate character on earth 
who calls upon Him in sorrow and repentance. 

If others do not care for you in your misfortunes 
and failures of life, God cares. He loves you still, 
and longs to pick you up. When others oppose you 
as you try to rise to manhood and womanhood, right 
and Christianity, God will help. When others for- 
sake you, God won't when right is your aim. 

Once a sinful adultrous woman was brought to 
Jesus, and Jesus said to those who brought her: 
•'He that is without sin among you, let him first 
cast a stone at her." Then Jesus stooped and wrote 
on the ground, and when He ''had lifted up Himself, 
and saw none but the woman. He said unto her. 
Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no 
man condemned thee? She said. No man. Lord. 
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee : 
go, and sin no more." (John 8:7-11.) Jesus for- 
gave the woman, but told her to sin no more. 

So, unfortunate one, Jesus will forgive. It is 
His business to do so when we call upon him. Then 
trust your case in His hands. God loves you still, 
despite the sins and failures of your life. Yes, He 
loves you. "God is love." Cannot you say, — 

"I am so glad that our Father in heaven 
Tells of His love in the book He has given ; 



232 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Wonderful things in the Bible I see : 
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me. 

Chorus. 
**I am so glad that Jesus loves me, 
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, 
I am so glad that Jesus loves, 
Jesus loves even me. 

"Though I forget Him, and wander away. 
Still He doth love me wherever I stray ; 
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee. 
When I remember that Jesus loves me. 

"Oh, if there's only one song I can sing, 
A¥hen in His beauty I see the great King, 
This shall my song in eternity be, 
'Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me !* 

"Jesus loves me and I know I love Him, 
Love brought Him down my poor soul to redeem ; 
Yes, it was love made Him die on the tree. 
Oh, I am certain that Jeus loves me. 

•'If one should ask of me, how could I tell? 
Glory to Jesus I know very well ; 
God's Holy Spirit with mine doth agree. 
Constantly witnessing — Jesus loves me. 

"In this assurance I find sweetest rest. 
Trusting in Jesus I know I am blest : 
Satan dismayed, from my soul now doth flee, 
When I just tell him that Jesus loves me." 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 233 

Dear one, if you are down, *'pick yourself up." 
There's room higher up in life for you. Look up 
and see, rise and attain it. If you will try to get 
up, try to be a man or a woman upright and honor- 
able, there will be somebody in whom you will find 
help and encouragement even beside God. It is my 
pleasure to help those who are down to rise again, 
for I know it is a great work to rescue souls for Je- 
sus. 

Some of our best citizens, and ,some of our best 
and strongest men and women of God, have been 
and are those who were once fallen and picked them- 
selves up, or else were picked up and rescued by 
somebody else. The poet says, — 

"No shame-faced outcast ever sank so deep. 
But yet might rise and be again a man." 

Even the sot drunkard can lift himself out of the 
slough, and by God's help, and the help of some other 
kind friend, "rise and be again a man," a useful 
man, a sober, noble, moral, and spiritual man. A man 
that is influential in his country for its up-building, 
helpful to his neighbors, and helpful to the young 
people in encouraging them to live good, sober and 
righteous lives. A gambler can reform, pick him- 
self up, gain the confidence of the people, and give 
such admonitions against sin and set such examples 
of righteousness that his life will be admired and 
appreciated, and he can be happy in his conscious- 
ness of right-doing and right-living, with the Holy 



234 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Spirit bearing witness to his soul that he is a fol- 
lower of Christ and a possessor of spiritual grace. 

The profane man, the rogue, the liar, the tattler, 
the hyprocrite, the adulterer and fornicator, the dis- 
honest wretch, or any kind of fellow v/ho is down 
in sin, fallen low in debauchery and dissipation, 
looked upon with contempt by their feiloAvmen, and 
passed by almost unnoticed by society' and the more 
aristocratic and high-up class of people, can pick 
himself up and '"be again a man." When one sets a 
determination to reform, and make his life profita- 
ble, live for God and serve Him, he can do it because 
he has God and right on his side, and this vdll w^n 
one s way upwc^rd. Thank God. 

-Reader, if yon are down in sin and misfortunate, 
pick yourself up. Take courage. Remember your 
case is not hopeless — not by any means. Others have 
come up who were as much fallen and maybe more 
so than you are, and have made sucressful and hon- 
orable men and women in the world, and wielded a 
great mfluence for God. Look about you and see. 
The devil will hold you down if he can, but don't 
submit to him. God is for you, the best people are 
for you, and all that is just and right is for you if 
only you will grasp it. You can be a blessing yet to 
somebody. If you should win only one soul for Je- 
sus, set QTiQ good example that would cause someone 
to live for the Master, you shall not have lived in 
vain. WTiile the past of your life may be dark with 
sin, yet turn to the Christ who is able to save "unto 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 235 

the utteiTiiosi" vW who come unto Him and make the 
future to them bright and hopeful. 

'•'Pick yourself up." Don't cast yourself away 
and be a failure forever. To do so is radically 
wrc-ng. Il is not treating yourself, your country and 
your God right. You have a talent or talents that 
are valuable, and if utilized will be a blessing and 
a beneiit to the world. Use your gii is and yuur abil- 
ity profitably. You do not even know v/hat wonder- 
ful success you may achieve yet and how far you may 
advance in godliness. Try and see. "Let the dead 
past bury its dead" and make the future bright with 
golden deeds, honest endeavors to serve God, which 
will give you a noble standing again among the best 
of people, and will confirm your faith in the Lrord 
Jesus Christ and brighten your hope for the "Glory 
Land." Well, Amen. May the Lord's blessings be 
upon you, and may we meet in heaven. 

Yours for fallen souls, 
WALTER E. ISENIHOUR. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS. 

*'Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works 
of darkness, but rather reprove them." — Eph. 5:11. 

To have no fellowship with evil, no part in the 
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
them, should be a mark of distinction between the 
church and the world. The church should be as 
a "city set on a hill" to give light unto the world, 
which cannot be hid. There should be no mixing 
on the part of the church with the evils of the world, 
no blending with sin, no fellowship with sin, no 
compromising with Satan, but she should be pure and 
undefiled, standing for higher things than the evil 
world around, that God ''might present it to Him- 
self a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, 
or any such thing: but that it should be holy and 
without blemish." (Eph. 5.27.) 

Reader, church member, are you obeying the 
command of the text — "Have no fellowship with the 
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
them?" If you are, well and amen: if you are not, 
woe and take care! "Tribulation and anguish, upon 
every soul of man that doeth evil." (Rom. 2:9.) 
What does this m.ean — "tribulation and anguish?" 
Does it not mean distress and great pain, sorrow 
and suffering, either in body or mind, soul or spirit? 

236 



Life's Beautifxil Way Heavenward, 237 

Then we should have no fellowship, no companion- 
ship, and keep no company, nor mingle with and 
partake of the unfruitful, unprofitable works of 
darkness. Rather than partake of the works of evil 
and associate our lives with them we should reprove 
them, rebuke and denounce them. Our very lives 
should be an open rebuke to sin and the devil, and 
a reproof to the evil, unfruitful works of darkness. 
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath 
appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying un- 
godliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, in this present world; look- 
ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing 
of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ ; who 
gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from 
all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar peo- 
ple, zealous of good works. These things speak, and 
exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no mian 
despise thee." (Titus 2 :11-15.) 

However, the following language of the Master 
tells the life story of many people who fellowship 
wath the unfruitful works of darkness : "This is the 
condemnation, that light is come into the world 
and men loved darkness rather than light, because 
their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth 
evil hatheth the light, neither cometh to the light, 
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth 
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be 
made manifest, that they are wrought in Grod." 
(John 3:19-21.) 



238 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

Therefore a sinner and a "sinning religion" fel- 
lowships with the unfruitful works of darkness. 
But listen : "This then is the message which we have 
heard of Him, and declare unto you that God is 
light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say 
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in dark- 
ness, we lie, and do not the truth : but if we walk in 
the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship 
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His 
Son cleanse th us from all sin." (I John 1:5-7.) 
Yet we find those who say they are Christians — 
Christlike — and in the meantime they say and do 
things they know are wrong, things that are ungod- 
ly, have fellowship with the sinful, partake of their 
sins, walk in forbidden paths, fight holiness and 
sanctification, have fellowship with the unfruitful 
works of darkness, rather than reprove them, vio- 
lating this sacred commandment, and then say that 
Zion is such a hard road to travel, that is is so hard 
to live right, etc. Yes, "the way of transgressors 
is hard." (Prov. 13:15.) All who have fellowship 
with the unfruitful, unprofitable works of darkness 
have a hard time of it here, with worse to follow, 
unless they get right with God and walk in the light 
of righteousness and godliness. 

When God says: "Have no fellowship" with a 
thing, and we go on and fellowship it, we can be as- 
sured that the consequences are not going to be very 
pleasant and never desirable. So then we must not 
partake of evil men's deeds and so-called pleasures 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 239 

and works of darkness, lest we suffer for it, both 
here and hereafter. Suffering always follows sin. 

*'0 house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in 
the light of the Lord." (Isa. 2:5.) "Say ye to the 
righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they 
shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the 
wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of 
his hands shall be given him." (Isa. 3 :10, 11). "They 
are those that rebel against the light ; they know not 
the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. The 
murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and 
needy, and in the light is as a thief. The eye also 
of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, 
No eye shall see me : and disguiseth his face. In the 
dark they dig through houses, which they had mark- 
ed for themselves in the daytime : they know not the 
light. For the morning is to them even as the shad- 
ow of death : if one know them, they are in the ter- 
rors of the shadow of death." (Job 24:13-17). 

Again in Isaiah we read: "Woe unto them that 
call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for 
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for 
sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that 
are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own 
sight. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink 
wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 
which justify the wicked for reward, and take away 
the righteousness of the righteous from him." (Isa. 
5:20-23). And yet, in the face of open truths and 
the warning of conscience, men do these things. 



240 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

They call evil good, and good evil; they put dark- 
ness for light, and light for darkness ; put hitter for 
sweet, and sweet for bitter; they are wise in their 
ovm. eye®, and prudent in their own sight; they 
drink wine and strong drink, oppress the righteous 
and justify the mcked. But the Lord says to them 
** Woe !" and it means trouble. 

Men have fellowship with sin, hold up "sinning 
religion," fight the blessed theme of Holiness, min- 
gle with the unfruitful works of darkness, preach 
that "there's none good, no, not one," and notwith- 
standing say they are Christians. This is rather 
strange, isn't it? We do not quite understand such. 
They are either quite ignorant of what the religion 
of Jesus Christ is, or else square out falsifying. 
Which? The text says emphatically: "Have no fel- 
r-^^vship with the unfruitful works of darkness, bn/ 
rather reprove them." Now when anything is un- 
fruitful it means it is barren, does not profit, doesn't 
pay. And Jesus said: "Every branch in Me that 
bareth not fruit He (the Father) taketh away." 
(John 15 :2.) So if we are to aJbide in Him we must 
be fruitful. The works of darkness should have no 
place in our lives. Our duty, and the requirement 
of God, is that we separate ourselves from the evils 
of the world, come out from among evil-doers and 
unbelievers, be not again entangled with a yoke of 
bondage, walk "in the paths of righteousness for His 
name's sake." "abstain from all appearance of evil," 
and be faithful unto death. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 241 

Let us notice the following Scripture found in 
2 Cor. 6:14-18: ''Be ye not unequally yoked together 
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath right- 
eousness with unrighteousness? and what commun- 
ion hath light with darkness ? and what concord hath 
Christ with Belial? and what part hath he that be- 
lieveth with an infidel? And what agreement hath 
the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple 
of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in 
them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from 
among them, and he ye separate, saith the Lord, and 
touch not the unclean thing : and I will receive you, 
and will he a Father unto you, and ye shall he my 
sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty, '^ 

Some people will have fellowship with the evils 
of the world — "the unfruitful works of darkness" — - 
and say there's no harm in it. They can play a game 
of cards, take a social drink, visit questionable 
places, mingle with the sinful, go to dances, go to the 
theater, engage in idle games, and argue, *'No harm 
in it." Yes, my friends, there is. The Bible is plain 
on it — ''Have no fellowship with the unfruitful 
works of darkness." What is such but evil and 
works of darkness ? They don't profit a man spirit- 
ually, never win souls for God, don't do any good, 
and I've always been told that what there is no good 
in there is harm in it. Paul tells us even this : "Ab- 
stain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thess. 5:22). 
And these things certainly have the appearance of 



242 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

evil, and are evil. What kind of people do you find 
in these places, and partaking of these things? Do 
you not find the worldly, pleasure-seeking, sinful, 
ungodly, unrighteous, unholy class of people engaged 
in such. Of course you do, and you are obliged to 
admit it. Then you say : ''No harm in it." Can you 
say that conscientiously, honestly, sincerely? Now 
just be truthful and say, "No." What have we just 
read ? "Wherefore come out from among them, (the 
worldly, sinful, ungodly) and be ye separate, saith 
the Lord, and touch not the imclean thing : and I will 
receive you, and will be a Father unto you, ana ye 
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al- 
mighty." 

Now isn't the Bible plain on it, and you believe 
the Bible, don't you? Yes, you say you do, but why 
don't you obey it? Only those who do God's will are 
going to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 7 :21) . 

I can prove to you that lots of things you do are 
wrong outside of what the Bible says. Now sup- 
pose the preacher should play a game of cards, drink 
a social glass of vvdne or whiskey, keep company with 
worldlians, go to places of amusement like you, en- 
gage in frivolity, go out pleasure riding on Sundays, 
you would say it's wrong, wouldn't you ? Of course 
you would. You would say that he is out of his 
place. You wouldn't have but very little confidence 
in him, and his preaching wouldn't have much effect 
on you in the way of causing you to turn from your 
sins and seek God. Then if it is wrong for the 



Life's Beautiful Waij Heavenivard. 243 

preacher, which it is, we admit, it certainly is wrong 
for you. Must the preacher live a better life than 
3^ou in order to get to heaven ? Must you not travel 
the same road he travels, (the Narrow way) follow 
the same Christ, abstain from the same sins, before 
you are to be admitted into heaven, in w"hich no sin 
ever enters ? Now consider it and see if vv e have not 
told you the truth. 

Let us notice another Scripture found in James 
1:27: 'Ture religion (religion that is undefiled by 
sin) and undefiled before God and the Father is this, 
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, 
and to keep himself unspotted from the worldJ^ Then 
if one doesn't do as this text says he hasn't pure re- 
ligion. We must keep ourselves "unspotted from 
the world" before we are Christlike. If all who pro- 
fess today to be Christians would only live up to 
their profession, live up to their privileges, there 
would be quite a diflference in the w^orld to what 
there is now. The trouble is so many have only a 
mere profession and not a possession of ''pure re- 
ligion." They fail to keep themselves unspotted 
from, the world, but have fellowship with the un- 
fruitful works of darkness, hence the world has no 
confidence in them, and they are a hindrance to the 
cause of God rather than a help. We are know^n 
by the company we keep, by the deeds we do, by the 
fruit we bear, and by what we fellowship. 

Let the Bible speak to you again : ''Be ye there- 
fore followers of God, as dear children ; and walk in 



244 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given 
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for 
a sweetsmelling savor. But fornication, and all un- 
cleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named 
among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, 
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not con- 
venient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye 
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, 
nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any in- 
heritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let 
no man deceive you with vain words : for because of 
these things cometh the wrath of God upon the chil- 
dren of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partak- 
ers tuith them. For ye were sometimes darkness, 
but now are ye light in the Lord : zvalk as children of 
light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in 2 11 goodness 
and righteousness and truth;) proving what is ac- 
ceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship ivith 
the unfruitful vwrks of darkness, hut rather re- 
prove them. For it is a shame even to speak of 
those things which are done of them in secret. But 
all things that are reproved are made manifest by 
the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is 
light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleep- 
est, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give 
thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not 
as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because 
the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but 
understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be 
not drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but be filled 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 245 

with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 
melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks 
always for all things unto God and the Father in 
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ; submitting your- 
selves one to another in the fear of God." (Eph. 
5:1-21). 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



'•'close to thee." 



*'Thou, my everlasting portion, 
More than friend or life to me 

All along my pilgrim journey, 
Savior let me walk v^ith Thee. 

"Not for ease or v^orldly pleasure. 
Nor for fame my prayer shall be ; 

Gladly will I toil and suffer, 
Only let me walk with Thee. 

"Lead me through the vale of shadows. 

Bear me o'er life's fitful sea; 
Then the gate of life eternal 

May I enter. Lord, with Thee." 

These verses, from the pen of Fanny J. Crosby, 
are precious to me. They express the sentiments 
and desires of my heart. I want to live close to Je^ 
sus every day and every hour. My desire is to walk 
with Him "all along my pilgrim journey," and have 
the "blessed assurance" that "Jesus is mine." Noth- 
ing gives such comfort to the soul as sweet com- 
munion with Him, and following His steps. He sup- 
plies the need of the hungry soul, and fills it with a 
^'foretaste of glory divine." Bless His holy name. 

246 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 247 

**0h, that men would praise the Lord for His good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of 
men !'' The child of God can truthfully say with Da- 
vid in his beautiful Psalm: "Surely goodness and 
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life : and I 
shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever/' (Psa. 
23;6). 

''Saviour, let me walk with Thee." This should 
be a constant prayer that we breathe forth. It 
should come from the heart, and would then reach 
the heart of God. To walk with Him is blessed. The 
soul finds peace that "passeth understanding" in 
following in the paths of righteousness which He 
makes for us to travel in. Whether we are well or 
sick, rich or poor, strong or weak, fortunate or un- 
fortunate, when we are walking with Jesus it is all 
well. We can say with Job: *'I know that my Re- 
deemer liveth." (Job 19:25). He whispersi peace 
to the mind and the spirit. He helps us in our in- 
firmities, bears us up in times of temptation, makes 
us patient in the hours of trial and persecution, and 
whispers, as it were, 'Teace, be still." His pres- 
ence in the soul it m^ore than all the powers that are 
assemxbled against us. The question is asked: "If 
God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8: 
31) . Again, Paul tells us : "We know that all things 
work together for good to them that love God." 
(Rom. 8:28). Praise His name, if we are walking 
with Him all things are working together for our 
good. 



248 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

"Thou, my everlasting portion, 
More than friend or life to me ; 

All along my pilgrim journey, 
Savior, let me walk with Thee." 

To the Christian He is his "everlasting portion." 
God lives forever. And to the one wrhom He saves 
from all sin, and who walks with Him, and endures 
unto the end, He will give everlasting life, peace, 
joy and glory. And He is to us "more than friend 
or life." 

"There's not a friend like the lovely Jesus, 
No not one ! no not one !" 

No friend will be so true to us, and do so much 
for us, as Jesus. No one can. He is able to do what 
even our dearest friends can't do. He can save us 
from sin and take us to heaven. Then we pray : 

"All along my pilgrim journey, 
Savior, let me walk with Thee." 

Not a part of our "pilgrim journey," but all of 
it, we want to w^alk with the precious Savior. We 
want to evermore abide near Him. Our heart cries : 
"Nearer, my God, to Thee." We feel so much the 
need of a close walk with Him, as we behold the dan- 
gers to which we are exposed, and see the perilous 
times in which we are living. 

It's beautiful to walk with God. I used to know 
a saintly woman who walked with Him until her life 
became one of splendor. She was so consecrated 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 249 

upon God's altar that she breathed a spirit of pray- 
er, and became a soul- winner of no little conse- 
quence. Her life was a benediction, and so far as 
I know, is yet today. She delighted to live close to 
her Lord and Master, and He delighted to bless her. 
And it is just like Him to do so. Every true, loyal 
child of His gets many of His richest and sweetest 
blessings. 

"Not for ease or worldly pleasure, 
Nor for fame my prayer shall be; 
Gladly will I toil and suffer. 
Only let me walk with Thee." 

The Christian is not looking and praying for 
ease or worldly pleasure. He knows it is not in 
harmony with God, hence he must avoid it and as- 
pire for the things that are spiritual. In fact, as he 
partakes of the goodness and blessedness of God and 
the Holy Spirit, with the consequent joy, peace and 
happiness that results therefrom, he can truthfully 
and joyfully say in the language of the song: 
*'I am drinking at the fountain 

Where I ever would abide, 
For I've tasted life's pure river. 
And my soul is satisfied. 

There's no thirsting for life's pleasures, 

Nor adoring rich and gay. 
For I've found a richer treasure. 

One that fadeth not away." 
Neither does the Christian pray for fame. If 



250 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

God wants to give him fame as he serves Him it is 
well and good, and he accepts it as such, in the mean- 
time giving Him all the glory. But the true Chris- 
tian's object is not for fame, but it is to please God 
and do His will. He wants, above all, to live for 
Him, labor for Him, toil, and if needs be, suffer for 
Him, and walk with Him, and at last die in Him in 
the full triumphs of faith and go shouting home to 
glory. Thus can he say : 

"Gladly will I toil and suffer, 
Only let me walk with Thee.*' 
However, before we ever reach the final goal of 
life eternal there come to us sorrows, and we have 
to pass through shadows and dark scenes, and so we' 
can really say and pray again : 

*'Lead me through the vale of shadows, 

Bear me o'er life's fitful sea; 
Then the gate of life eternal 

May I enter, Lord, with Thee." 
It will be beautiful and glorious, sweet and bless- 
ed to enter "the gate of life eternal" with the Lord, 
after having passed through "the vale of shadows" 
here, with all its pains and sufferings, heartaches 
and sighs. Then can we more fully understand the 
passage of Scripture that says: "And God shall 
wipe away all tears from their eyes : and there shall 
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crjang, neith- 
er shall there be any more pain; for the former 
things are passed away." (Rev. 21 :4) . 

The other day one of our neighbors sent for me 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 251 

to come and see him. I went and found him dying. 
He was one of my friends and also a brother in 
Christ, having surrendered his life to God only a 
short while ago. He knew that he was going, and 
would soon be at home with Jesus. It was a scene 
never to be forgotten. We prayed and he prayed. 
He talked to those around him and asked them to 
meet him in heaven. We were crying, but no tears 
were in his eyes. God must have wiped them away. 
He could talk to his mother and his loved ones as 
they came to see him and speak a last word. He 
was conscious. I asked him if he wanted to live and 
he said : "No, not now. I have suffered so much." 
Evidently he realized his sufferings were soon to 
be over. He was getting nearer God. Closer and 
closer he drew as the moments passed by. Again I 
said to him : "Is there anything more you w^ant with 
me, or want to say?" "Yes," he replied, "I want to 
tell you good-bye," and reaching out his hand I 
grasped it for the last time on earth — the last time. 
But when I reach heaven I'm expecting to see him 
again and take him by the hand, never more to part 
and say, "good-bye." That will be a happy time 
when we meet again our friends so dear, whose de- 
parture here rent our hearts with grief. The song 
says: "Won't that be a happy meeting?" 

I took my departure from the bedside of my dy- 
ing friend, as I was very unwell myself. In a little 
while he called for the song, "Home, Sweet Home," 
which goes like this : 



252 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

•'Fathers have a home, sweet home, 
Fathers have a home, sweet home, 
Fathers have a home, sweet home. 
Lord, I want to join the angels beautiful 
home. 

Chorus. 
"Beautiful home, sweet home, 
Beautiful home, sweet home. 
Beautiful home, sweet home, 
Lord, I want to join the angels beautiful 

home. 
"Mothers have a home, sweet home, 
Mothers have a home, sweet home. 
Mothers have a home, sweet home. 
Lord, I want to join the angels beautiful 
home. "etc. 
Just before going "hence to be no more in this 
world" he saw his father he said, who had died 
some years ago in a beautiful room — one of the heav- 
enly mansions. Then, speaking to his mother, he 
told her there was a place for her. Soon, quietly 
and peacefully he passed out to be with Jesus, his 
Redeemer, who had so recently saved him from his 
sins. "Precious in the si^ht of the Lord is the death 
of His saints." (Psa. 116 :15) . 

"Lead me thro' the vale of shadows 

Bear me o'er life's fitful sea; 
Then the gate of life eternal 

May I enter. Lord, with Thee." 
Amen, and Amen I 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

'*A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENSE." 

"And herein do I exercise myself, to have al- 
ways a conscience void of offense toward God, 
and toward men." — Acts 24:16. 
This text is from our beloved Brother Paul. To 
say the least he was a great and powerful man. His 
life has blessed the world in a very great measure, 
and still continues to bless. Great men never die, 
and neither do good men — men of God — die. They 
pass out of the world, it is true, but their influence 
lives after them to bless the lives of others, and 
their spirits return to God who gave them. (Eccl. 
12:7.) 

To take example after good and great men, and 
give heed to their teachings, is worth while. Es- 
pecially when men are chosen of God as a living 
example, as witnesses, as teachers, leaders and au- 
thors. If we take pattern after the good and great, 
we too may be good and great; but if we take pat- 
tern after the vile and sinful, worldly and ungodly 
we will be as they are. Which of these classes is 
your example? On your choice depends your success 
or failure for time and eternity, generally speaking. 
Which will it be? 

Now Paul said: "Herein do I exercise myself, 
to have always a conscience void of offense toward 

253 



254 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

God and toward men." In order to attain life's best 
physically, mentally, morally and spiritually, as well 
as to succeed along any line worthy of pursuit, one 
must exercise himself in that direction. And to 
make a physical, mental, moral and spiritual wreck 
people exercise themselves toward that condition in 
life, by sinning, dissipating, wasting time, tal- 
ent, opportunity, manhood and womanhood. Ex- 
ercise in building life, and attaining life's best, 
noblest, holiest and most worthy and to-bendesired 
counts more than we are aware of and more than 
I am able to tell. To exercise one's self in right- 
eousness, after having exercised himself in coming 
to God and repenting of his sins, and to use the 
means of grace which God has provided for all who 
will serve Him, and to persistently v^alk "in the paths 
of righteousness for His name's sake," this counts 
for the Christian's success and his consequent happi- 
ness resulting from it. While on the opposite side, 
to exercise one's self along any line of evil, whether 
profanity, or adultery, or covetousness, or dishon- 
esty or fraud, or falsifying, or stealing, or evil 
speech, or worldliness, or foolish jesting, or what 
not, tends to degenerate and take from life its no- 
blest, holiest, purest and best. Whatever men prac- 
tice, whether good or evil, and give continual exer- 
cise therein, is what they grow into. It gets a 
stronger hold upon life each day, and really becomes 
a part of the man, as it becomes instilled into his 
very being; and if it be sin nothing less powerful 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 255 

than the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and purify 
such a life. Reformation and moralizing and seif- 
righteousness can't do it, but the blood of Christ 
can. 

*'What can wash away my sins? 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus ; 

What can make me whole again? 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus." 
Now, then, if any one wants to prepare himself 
for a certain work or profession he exercises himself 
to accomplish the end or aim he has in view. If he 
w^ants to establish in his life some noble trait of 
character he exercises himself and uses every means 
possible until it is accomplished. He uses the means 
God places within his reach. If he wants to over- 
come some evil habits, some bad characteristic of 
life, some sin or sins that pray upon his life, soul 
and body, and root out every besetting evil, he exer- 
cises faith in God and his own v^ill and determina- 
tion until success crov^ns his faith and efforts and he 
stands a victor over self, the world and the devil, 
though sometimes it takes even years of incessant 
effort and patient work and true faith in God and a 
v/ill never to give over until the work is done. Yet 
it can be done by being faithful to God and fighting 
with all one's might the evil. And it is the privilege 
and duty of each one who has some bad principle, 
or disposition or habit, or besetting evil, or ill tem- 
perament in life to overcome it, by God's help. It 
can be done. Nothing baffles the skill of God when 



256 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

we yield ourselves unto Him and faithfully and her- 
oically do our part.. 

Many people have a very bad temper w^hich gives 
them, and those around them, more trouble than 
anything else. This evil is more prevalent perhaps 
than almost any other in the lives of so many people. 
I believe it is the most common, or one of the most 
at least of all evils. We find it among all classes of 
peopJe. Christians as well as sinners, poor as well 
as rich, and it is one that seems to be very hard to 
manage. So many people would be real good if it 
were not for their bad temper, which runs away with 
them and causes them to do and say so many things 
that are wrong. The Holiness folks say (and God 
bless them) that it just takes the "second blessing,*' 
or entire sanctification, to get it out of one's life, 
and no doubt they have it right. We find so many 
good people and even Christians that have an av^ul 
time with their temper. It gets the best of them 
so much, and as John Hatfield said, they have to go 
out and take their "painkiller,*' or repentance, as 
often. The "old man" is so hard to manage that 
they have many a tussel with him, and so often he 
gets the best of the tussel. Such folks need to go 
down on their knees and wrestle with God until He 
kills the "old mian" or carnality, or "imbred sin," 
and casts him out of the heart and then they won't 
have any more trouble with their evil temper. How- 
ever, to exercise one's self in fighting temper, even 
though he be a sinner, and just keep quiet and not 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 257 

say anything when he gets mad, he can suppress 
it to a very great extent so it will not give him much 
trouble. In such trials one should always keep quiet, 
say nothing, and walk away and get alone, and soon 
it is over. But if the devil can get a fellow to give 
vent to his anger and say harsh words and "cut a 
shine" he is only feeding his temper and it gets a 
stronger hold upon him each time. How many dear 
souls are victims today to an ill temper because 
they have given away, and given av/ay to it so much 
and so long, rather than fight it and keep it sup- 
pressed by God's help, or go deeper and have it kill- 
ed out entirely by the power of God. 

Again, so many dear souls are so easy offended. 
Just a little cross word touches their feelings and 
they are all wrong, and have their lip down. And 
with lots of folks take offense and you don't 
know what it is all about, and they'll go around 
pouting. Of all the devil's problems this is one of 
the hardest to solve. You don't see any beginning 
place, and of course you can't see the end. To have 
folks offended and you don't see any cause and can't 
tell what on earth it is about, gets a fellow "wool- 
gathered." About the only plan I know of is to be 
still and let them pout it out, or walk up to them 
and ask them the trouble. Now then, such folks cer- 
tainly are unpleasant to deal with, and the good 
Lord knows, and they know themselves, that they 
need to take a lot of spiritual medicine and much 
exercise to overcome the terrible disease, the evil 



258 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

nature. They need to "'exercise themselves to have 
always a conscience void of offense toward God and 
toward men." They get offended at God about the 
cold and the heat, the rain and the storm, the drouth 
and the crops, the summer and the winter, the wars 
and the destructions, the condition of the world 
and the church, when they ought to realize that God 
is not to blame, but just such ''fellers" as they are, 
and the vile of the world are to blame. They should 
be thankful that God does not deal with them ac- 
cording to their sins nor reward them according to 
their iniquities. But so much of the time such souls 
want to blame God, or somebody else, when they are 
much to blame themselves, and God never. 

Then their conscience is so easily offended at 
their fellows. When they go to church they get 
offended at the preacher, get offended in the Sunday 
school, because somebody differs with them in opin- 
ion or crosses their views. They get offended at 
the ways of others, and think they have been mis- 
treated, or overlooked and slighted. They get offend- 
ed at work or play, at home or abroad, at the papers 
and at politics, notice every little thing that is said 
or done, which we should many times pay no atten- 
tion to ; for to live right we have to overlook the 
many things in the way of faults and mistakes in 
the lives of each other, because we are all human 
and make blunders and mistakes. Now we know 
there is much about the easy-offended conscience 
that is not right. We ought to so cultivate and ex- 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard, 259 

ercise our conscience by God's help, until we can 
scarcely be offended when even we know someone is 
trying to offend us much less when they don't mean 
to. And I believe it can be done. We find some 
people who won't hardly get offended at anything 
said about them or done against them. They bear 
it patiently and rejoice because it is only a lie, and 
that they suffer for Jesus' sake. I tell you, to have 
a conscience void of offense is no little possession. 
It is Christlike and befitting to every Christian. We 
should exercise ourselves to this end that we may 
reach just this place in life. Paul said: "Charity 
suffereth long, and is kind." Again, he said: ''Bear- 

eth all things, endureth all things." ( I Cor. 

13th chapter.) Therefore if one has a conscience 
easily offended it proves he is not in possession of 
charity or divine love, hence is destitute of even the 
first fruit of the Spirit, according to Paul in Gala- 
tians 5 :22. 

Every one who has a conscience easily offended 
needs to take a great deal of patient exercise to over- 
come it. In the first place they need God, and they 
need to pray much, and they need to cultivate pa- 
tience, self-control, be watchful, keep quiet under 
provocation, guard their tongue; and a good plan 
would be to get alone and read and pray, or think 
on something else that is soothing and peaceful. 
There's no use of people giving way to offenses. It 
shows weakness, and that the devil has them much 
under his control. And if Paul could overcome an 



260 Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 

offensive conscience, by God's help, of course we 
can, as God is no respecter of persons and will help 
us just as he did Paul, and the same is to us: "My 
grace is sufficient for thee/' But of course we must 
use that grace. It makes no difference how much 
grace God has for us if we don't use it, it is no ben- 
efit to us. And again, if a powerful man of God like 
Paul had to exercise himself "to have always a con- 
science void of offense toward God, and toward 
men," of course we surely need to even though we 
don't have offenses to bear like he did, yet we have 
plenty, at least we all think so. 

Now, then, dear reader, if you are peevish and 
irritable, and always ready to be offended and eas- 
ily insulted, you are not right. Plainly so. You are 
more to blame than the other fellow. God isn't to 
blame, the other fellow is not so much to blame, but 
you and the devil are. And you just need to over- 
come yourself and the devil. And if you can be 
master of your own life, mind, spirit, soul, con- 
science, by God's help, through exercising faith in 
Him and using the grace He has for you to be used, 
it will not be but very little trouble to overcome 
the outward conditions that surround you which 
may be brought to bear against you. The main 
thing is for one to be right within, to have a clear 
conscience and one void of offense, and then the devil 
on the outside doesn't give him much trouble. As 
long as he keeps him out of his heart he is safe. 
Bless God. But the devil within and the devil v/ith- 



Life's Beavtiful Way Heavenward, 261 

out, and all around, is something fearful. Lord, 
help us to be right within and have always a clear 
conscience in Thy sight, and one void of offense to- 
ward Thee and our f ellovnnan. 

May Jesus bless you, dear reader, and may you 
exercise yourself in over-coming every evil in life, 
every bad habit, every trait and disposition, nature 
and characteristic, and may you have a conscience 
void of offense, and be strong to live for God. Lret 
us endeavor to t^ay and do with our beloved Brother 
Paul : ''Herein do I exercise myself, to have always 
a conscience void of offense toward God and toward 
men." 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 
FAITH. 

"Have faith in God."— Mark 11 :22. 

Faith is one of the essentials of Christianity. 
Apart from faith no one can be a Christian. In the 
first place it takes faith in God the Father and Christ 
the Savior to be isaved. "For he that cometh to God 
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder 
of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6). 
So faith must be exercised — is absolutely necessary 
— ^in seeking one's pardon and forgiveness of sins, 
and the salvation of the soul. Faith to believe there 
is a God and there is a Christ who is the Son of God, 
and who saves from sin all who rightly repent and 
call upon Him. And to increase our faith let us 
read what the apostle Paul says in Heb. 7:25: 
"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the utter- 
most that come unto God by him, (Jesus Christ) 
seeing He ever liveth to mak intercession for them." 

Bless the Lord ! I'm glad He is able to save. If 
He were not able to save the sinner from his sins 
he would be in a hopeless condition. But while 
He is able, yet it takes faith on the part of the un- 
saved to wrought the change. Repentance and faith 
is the sinner's part ; saving is God's part. "He that 
believeth on Him (the Son) is not condemned; but 
he that believeth not is condemned already, because 

262 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 263 

he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten 
Son of God." (John 3:18). 

'•Have faith in God." In the margin it reads: 
''Have the faith of God." This is what Jesus said. 
It is His command. He had all faith in God Himself 
that it was possible to have, no doubt, and He meant 
for us to have faith in Him too. Saving faith, keep- 
ing faith, sustaining faith, overcoming faith. Yes, 
it's faith, more faith in God that we need "Have 
faith in God." When people lose faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ they lose power. They lose their grip 
upon God. Then it is that temptations and the 
cares and evils of the world overcome them. They 
go down in defeat. And not until they come back 
to God, believing that He is and diligently seeking 
Him, do they gain power over the world and the dev- 
il. And we read: "This is the victory that over- 
cometh the world, even our faith." (I John 5:4.) 
Well, praise the Lord, then, for overcoming faith. 

The reason some are weaklings in the church 
and Christianity, and are so easily overcome of evil, 
is because their faith is so weak, v^e believe. Rather 
than overcome the w^orld, the world overcomes them. 
They lack faith. All strong and great people in the 
Lord have much faith in Him. All who live close 
to Him do it through faith to a very great extent. 
"Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto 
him for righteousness : and he v^as called the Friend 
of God." (Jas. 2:23.) 

for the faith of Abraham today, when the very 



264 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

souls of men are being tried! for faith in God 
amid these times of warfare, disease, sickness, suffer- 
ing, death and bereavement ! for the faith of the 
old patriarchs and prophets, and the disciples of our 
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ ! for faith in God to 
believe He will enable us to overcome the world, and 
will deliver us from the snares of the Tempter, and 
will keep us safely on our ''pilgrimage road" toward 
heaven, and that some sweet day we shall awake in 
His likeness ! Lord, evermore give us this faith. We 
need it. Increase our faith. Help us to believe Thy 
Word, Thy promiises, and hold on to Thy "unchang- 
ing hand." 

"0 for a faith that will not shrink, 

Though pressed by every foe, 
That will not tremble on the brink 

Of any earthly woe! 

'*That will not murmur nor complain 

Beneath the chastening rod. 
But, in the hour of grief or pain, 

Will lean upon its God. 

"'A faith that shines more bright and clear 
When tempests rage without; 

That when in danger knows no fear, 
In darkness feels no doubt. 

"Lord, give us such a faith as this ; 

And then, whatever m'ay come. 
We'll taste, e'en here, the hallowed bliss 

Of an eternal home." 



Life*s Beautifid Way Heavenward, 265 

*"Have faith in God." We need faith in Him to 
believe He will hear and answer prayer. A certain 
community needed a church. The pastor had hoped 
they would build one, but he was about to decide 
differently. He was about ready to give up the idea 
and the work. It looked discouraging. But a good 
sister who saw the need held on to God in prayer. 
She had faith to believe He would answer. And He 
did. Today a beautiful little church stands there in 
honor to God. Prayer and faith won the victory. 

for more faith ! The church needs it. Preach- 
ers need it. Fathers and mothers need it. The home 
needs it. The world needs it. More faith. 1 think 
many of us should say with the mian who once came 
to Jesus to have a dumb spirit cast out of his son, 
"Lord, I believe: help Thou mine unbelief." (Mark 
9 :24) . Just before this Jesus said unto him : "If 
thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that 
believeth." The evil spirit was cast out of the son. 

How faith works. Bless the Lord, any child of 
God can have it. Faith in God and His promises 
brings things to pass. It saves souls, heals the sick, 
brings comfort in time of sorrow, help in time of 
need, and helps us on to heaven. I'm so glad for 
faith ! The announcement had been made for a meet- 
ing at a certain church. And before the meeting 
started I had faith to believe a certain person would 
be saved. I was counting on this one if no more. 
And it came to pass. This soul was saved. Faith 
won. And to God b^ all the praise. Jesus said, 



266 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

**What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, be- 
lieve that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." 
(Mark 11:24.) 

I shall never forget the first revival meeting I 
ever held. It was at Bethel M. E. Church in Wa- 
tauga county in the month of February. The out- 
look for a meeting was discouraging. The church 
was in a cold condition spiritually. Someone said it 
wasn't worth while to try. But I had faith in God. 
While I was young and inexperienced in the work, 
just starting in the ministry, yet I trusted God to 
lead and give us souls. And He did. It was a glo- 
rious revival. It was the best in years. It put new 
life into the church, and new members were added. 
During the remainder of the year it was a pleasure 
to preach there, because of the interest taken. Pray- 
er and faith triumphed. Praise the Lord. Lret us 
trust Him more and more for what we need. He is 
able and willing to supply our needs. "Have faith 
in God." 

"My faith looks up to Thee, 
Thou Lamb of Calvary, 

Savior divine ; . j 

Now hear me while I pray, 
Take all my sins away, * 

let me from this day 

Be wholly Thine!" 

Reader, will you please open your Bible at the 
11th chapter of Hebrews and read more about faith? 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 267 

This chapter is one of the most wonderful in the Bi- 
ble, and is what I call the faith chapter. When your 
faith is weak, or about to become so, read it. When 
you need faith in your prayers, read it. Wear it out 
reading and studying it until you will have to buy 
you a new Bible. Your soul will be filled with the 
glory of God by that time perhaps. God and His 
cause will be more to you than ever, and you will be 
stronger to do exploits for Him. You can then stand 
persecutions, suffer wrongs without doing wrong, 
return good for evil, overcome temptations, be quiet 
and patient under trial, feeling and knovnng that 
Jesus is yours, and fills your heart with love and 
joy, even praises unto God. We can then say with 
the sainted John Wesley when he was going home 
to Glory : "The best of all is, God is with us." Glory, 
glory, hallelujah ! The poet says : 

"I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee 
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend, 

And I know that Thou art with me, 
Wilt be with me to the end." 

That is faith. Faith takes God at His word. 
Faith believes things will come to pass if we ask 
of God, and are living for Him, even though we see 
no sign at the time w^hen we pray. "Have faith in 
God." He is always faithful and true. Amen. God 
be with you. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

DON*T WORRY. 

If I were asked to give a message of warning 
that would contribute to the health and strength of 
■both mind and body of lots of people, and also one 
that would greatly add to the longevity of life, and 
bring peace, joy, gladness, hopefulness, and success, 
and would change life from dreariness to that of 
brightness ; from shadows and gloom to sunshine and 
beauty ; from repulsiveness to attraction ; from sour- 
ness to sweetness; from complaining and murmur- 
ing to thankfulness ; from the "blues" to unspeaka- 
ble pleasure; from sinfulness to righteousness (in 
some instances,) I would say: — ''don't worry!" 

Worry is one of the worst foes of life. It injures 
health, destroys sleep, weakens the mind and body, 
thus unfitting man for his duties and responsibili- 
ties of life. Men who worry, worry, worry, are 
never strong to do exploits, and cannot measure up 
to lifers best as they otherwise could if they would 
not worry but would spend their mental energy and 
physical vitality that they waste thus for that which 
is worth while ; that which will contribute to health, 
happiness and success. 

If there is something in life that causes worry, 
something that we can help, the thing to do is to 
help it and stop worrying. If we have done wrong 

268 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 269 

and our conscience is lashing us, causing worry, the 
best thing to be done is to make it right, whether it 
be to God or our fellowman, and stop worrying over 
it. If we have sinned (and this is one thing that it is 
well to worry over) we should repent, confess and 
forsake, and then cease our worrying.. If somebody 
else does something that we can't help it is not ours 
to worry over it. The good old Book tells us : "Fret 
not thyself because of evildoers." 

If someone speaks evil of us, or persecutes us, 
or tells false reports on us, or deceives us, or acts 
dishonestly with us, or works against us, trying to 
defeat our plans and purposes in life, it is not for us 
to worry over it. Our duty is to pray for them, cling 
to Jesus in prayer, even if the devil is attacking 
and assailing us on every side. To just keep cool, 
keep quiet, be calm, still and composed, under the 
storms and fires of Satan is often the best and wisest 
thing to do. If he can get us to fretting, worrying, 
murmuring, he brings us to utter defeat. But if 
we keep still and quiet, and say nothing to the threats 
and accusations he brings against us, soon he will 
find himself defeated and we stand out like the beau- 
tiful flower in all its glory after the rain and cloud 
and storm pass on, which is more lovely than ever. 
Its foliage and petals are washed and all the dust is 
gone, and the flower is fresher and looks newer and 
brighter than before. Hence it is with those who 
trust God and don't w^orry when the storms of the 
Tempter are on, and then pass away. 



270 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

*'The good are better made by ill, 
As odors crushed are sweeter still." 

Hovv^ever, if we frown and fret, quarrel and get 
sour and feel miserable, and worry and lose sleep 
and can^t eat, and cause ourselves a spell of sickness, 
we fall in defeat and utter exhaustion like the spar- 
row that worries itself, beating the air, asi it flits 
from window to window in a room where it chances 
to enter. 

To learn not to worry is a great blessing, and 
few have learned the lesson and obtained the bless- 
ing. It is a thing I have been trying to accomplish 
many years, and today I feel that I have succeeded 
to a great extent. And yet I am learning and striv- 
ing to be more calm and patient, and worry less and 
less. While there is much territory to be possessed 
yet, where I shall be free from worry, I am work- 
ing and going forward to possess it. 

Perhaps three-fourths of the worry of the world 
is unnecessary. It is useless, and amounts to noth- 
ing worth while. So many worry over things that 
they can't help, nor nobody else can help. What 
people should worry over they don't, and what they 
should not worry over, they do. We should worry 
over sin until we are forgiven, but so few do that. 
We should not worry over thousands of other things, 
but those things are just what woriy the lives of 
people away. 

If we have made many mistakes and blunders in 
the past, and committed many actual sins, the plan 



Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward. 271 

that we should adopt should be to make restitution, 
get forgiveness of sin, live better in the future and 
avoid those things that cause trouble, and stop 
worrying. 

*'Let the dead past bury its dead. 

Act, act in the living present. 
Heart within and God overhead." 

People are worrying themselves to death over 
the past of their lives, which can never be recalled, 
and which does no good, and are failing to "rise 
and be again a man." Where worry, useless worry, 
takes the place of service and duty, and where it 
hinders men in the race of life from reaching the 
goal, it is out of place, and should be kept in the 
background instead of the foreground. 

To worry over the future is useless also, only to 
the extent that we are preparing to meet God, if it 
takes worry. So many people trouble themselves 
over some future evil that they think may happen, 
or some accident that they think may take place, or 
some dark foreboding which they imagine v^ll come 
up before them. They see all kinds of trouble, but 
nothing to give them comfort. They cross bridges 
before they get to them, travel rugged roads that 
are never traveled, see mountains to climb that they 
never climb, and what all they do worry over that is 
absolutely useless, nobody but themselves and God 
knows. 

Why not look for good things and imagine good 



272 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenivard, 

things? Why not have hope? The poet tells us : — 

"Have hope, my friend The future's voice 
Peals like a trumpet from afar; 

It bids our drooping heart rejoice, 
And look to truth's eternal star. 

"Have hope, my friend. The future's voice 
When love shall conquer pain and ill, 

And all the hosts of hate and fear 
Go down before the might of will. 

"Have ever hope! Though many a w^oe 
Hath darked thy life's disastrous day, 

The tempest doth not always blow. 
The lightning rarely strikes to slay. 

"Sinks not in golden sheen from heaven 

The sun beneath his ocean tomb? 
So shall thou shine in manhood's even 
Ere thou descend to Hades' gloom." 

There are many things to rejoice over and be 
thankful for ; too many blessings and too many sun- 
beams for us to worry life away. And w^hile we 
worry ourselves we also worry somebody else. We 
should remember that others have worries enough 
of their ov^m without sharing part of ours. It is in- 
truding on the right of people (they have a right to 
peace and pleasure) for us to fret them with our 
unnecessary w^orries. We do them wrong to thus 
impose upon them our unpleasant feelings, only to 
the extent that we reveal our real cause for worry, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemvard. 273 

that we may have their sympathy, and that they 
may help us bear our burdens. 

We should avoid and struggle and fight against 
worry as we would a foe. Treat it as an enemy to 
the human life. For that which works destruction 
to humanity as does worry, taking our peace and 
happiness, and disqualifying one for a life of health 
and victory, can be classed only as a foe. 

Don't study about your troubles any more than, 
possible. Strive against it. Don't talk of things 
that cause worry. Dismiss them as much as possible 
from your mind. Think of something that is pleasant. 
Make it a practice and you'll grow into it, even if it 
is hard to do at first. It will pay you afterwards. 

Read the Bible, sing sweet songs, pray and hold 
sweet communion with God. Be employed with 
some kind of good work, rather than sit and brood 
over things unpleasant. Be hopeful, be courageous, 
bear all things patiently for Jesus. If you do right, 
even though you suffer injustice, or great loss, some- 
how, someway, everything will work out right for 
you. Just be calm, quiet, composed. Don't worry. 
It may seem hard to bear at the present time, but it 
will work out for you "a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory." Oppression may last for a 
season, but not always for the child of God. Don't 
worry, keep sweet, be cheerful, look up, trust in 
God, have hove! 

If you would be a pleasure and a blessing to 
your home ; a pleasure and a help to your country ; 



274 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

2L pleasure and a help to your God, don't worry. If 
you would be happy-hearted and sweet^spirited, 
don't worry. If you would have a bright, sunny 
face, a pleasant nature and sweet disposition, and 
have a good influence, with plenty of friends, don't 
'worry. If you would be youthful, even when you are 
old, with few furrows on your brow, don't worry. 
If you would be strong in body, mind and soul, and 
run well the race of life, and do exploits for God, 
with success crov^ning your life's efforts, and heaven 
awaiting you when you leave this world, don't wor- 
ry! Don't worry! Don't worry! 

"Have you any wrongs to right? — Right it! 
Do you have a sin to fight? — Fight it! 
God Himself will help you win, 
Let His Spirit enter in. 
Making right the heart within, 
Fit for the heaven above" — 
Don't Worry! 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

"SCATTER SUNBEAMS.' 

"There are sunbeams to scatter where sorrow doth 

dwell, 
And the joy of their presence, no mortal can tell! 
There are sunbeams to scatter, where sin, with 

its blight, 
Hath enshrouded the spirit with blackness of 

night! 1 ' 

"There are .sunbeams to scatter where poverty lives, 
Oh, how blest is the giver who willingly gives! 
There are sunbeams to scatter where help never 

comes. 
Where the weary are weeping in desolate homes ! 

"There are sunbeams to scatter, and each one may 
bear, 
In the breast of life's journey, a bountiful share! 
There are sunbeams to scatter, then broadcast and 
free, 
Let us scatter the sunbeams where'er we may be ! 

"There are sunbeams to scatter where flowers ne'er 
bloom. 
Where the light never chases aw^ay the dark gloom ! 
Let us do all the kindness on earth that we may. 
And scatter the sunbeams around us each day." 

— Selected. 
Do you say: "When I have time I'll scatter sun- 

275 



276 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

beams?" But let me add that if you wait for time 
when you don't have anything else to do you will 
perhaps never be a sunbeam scatterer. Just take 
time. It will make your own life happier and 
brighter and sweeter. If we never bring a ray of 
sunshine into the life of somebody else we are going 
to have very little sunshine ourselves. Haven't you 
seen people who never try to make anybody happy 
and they don't have any happiness themselves. It 
pays to take time to do right, to do what duty de- 
mands, even though your work may be pressing up- 
on you. It will make work lighter and less a burden 
to lay it aside for a little while and do someone a 
kindness, a good deed, lend a helping hand, scatter 
some sunbeams. 
"When I have time so many things I'll do 

To make life happier and more fair. 

For those whose lives are crowded now with care; 

I'll help to lift them from their low despair, 
When I have time. 

**When I have time the friend I love so well 
Shall know no more these weary, toiling days ; 
I'll lead her feet in pleasant paths always. 
And cheer her heart with words of sweetest praise, 
When I have time. 

''When you have time ! The friend you hold so dear 
May be beyond reach of all your sweet intent. 
May never know that you so kindly meant 
To fill her life with sweet content, 
When you have time. 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 277 

"Now is the time ! Ah, friend, no longer wait 
To scatter loving smiles and words of cheer 
To those around whose lives are now so dear ; 
They may not need you in the coming year — 
Noiv is the time!" 

— Medical Missionary Record, 

There are sunbeams to scatter. Your home needs 
them ; your country needs them. There are aching 
hearts that you can relieve, and lives that you can 
cheer and comfort and gladden. If you have to 
make a sacrifice in order to do it, what of that? 
Hasn't someone made a sacrifice for you? Christ 
did, and why can't we make a sacrifice for Him? 
There is blessing in making sacrifice. The greater 
the sacrifice, the richer and sweeter the blessing, if 
not on earth it will be in heaven. 

Men have sacrificed their lives that they might be 
a blessing to others, especially in soul-winning — 
leading them to the Sun of righteousness who to 
them rose '*with healing in His wings" and healed 
them of sin's diseases. The great man of God, Liv- 
ingstone, that he might scatter sunbeams on the dark 
and benighted continent of Africa, gave his life. A 
clipping from a religious periodical says of him : — 

* 'Twenty-nine thousand miles on foot he tramped 
through the jungles of Africa, sleeping on the wet 
earth, living for weeks at a time on roots and bird 
seed. 

'Torty times he was scorched in the furnace of 
African fever. His wife was dead; his children 



278 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 

were in far-off England; his heart was lonely; his 
body was emaciated to a skeleton, and yet undaunt- 
ed he journeyed on, refusing to return to England, 
tout sending out a message which thrilled Christen- 
dom : *A11 that I can write in my loneliness is, may 
heaven's richest blessings comie down on everyone, 
American, Englishman, or Turk who will help to 
heal this open sore of the world' — referring to Afri- 
can slavery. 

''And so he struggled on until one morning in his 
grass hut at Ilala, his faithful negro servant, Susie, 
found him on his knees by his cot, his face buried in 
his hands, his hands and face buried in his pillow- 
dead on his knees while praying for the redemption 
of Africa." \ 

Reader, this is sacrifice. Then you can't sacri- 
fice a little of your time and means for suffering 
humanity? What kind of a heart have you? Look 
at your luxury, your abundance, and then look at 
the real want, the need, of somebody else. If it is no 
one in your country, it is hundreds and millions of 
poor, suffering, ignorant, men and women and chil- 
dren in the dark heathen lands. Will you not send 
them a ray of sunshine by helping to support some 
missionary who is laboring among them and spend- 
ing his life for their sake, that he may preach to 
them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and get 
them converted from idol worship to true Chris- 
tianity? You may be alble by your means, if you 
can't go in person, to scatter sunshine on the dark 



Life's Beautiful Waij Heavenward. 279 

fields of heathendom and thus have a part in Chris- 
tianizing the world, for which our Lord gave His 
precious life on Calvary's rugged cross. And when 
He comes to make up His jewels you may be one of 
the number He shall select. 

*Trom Greenland's icy mountains, 

From India's coral strand, 
Where Afric's sunny fountains 

Roll down their golden sand ; 
From many an ancient river, 

From many a palmy plain. 
They call us to deliver 

Their land from error's chain. 

"What tho' the spicy breezes 

Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle, 
Though ev'ry prospect pleases. 

And only man is vile? 
In vain, with lavish kindness, 

The gifts of God are strown ; 
The heathen, in his blindness. 

Bows dovm to wood and stone. 

** Shall we whose souls are lighted 

With wisdom from on high, 
Shall we to men benighted 

The lamp of life deny? 
Salvation! Salvation! 

The joyful sound proclaim, 
Till earth's remotest nation 

Has learned Messiah's name. 



280 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

''Waft, waft ye winds His story, 

And you, ye waters roll, 
Till like a sea of glory, 

It spreads from pole to pole ; 
Till o'er our ransomed nature. 

The Lamb for sinners slain. 
Redeemer, King, Creator, 

In bliss return to reign." 

— Reginald Heber. 



"We should love and help each other, day by day; 
We should ever scatter sunbeams on the way. 
For the road is rough at best. 

As we count each weary mile, 
Let us cheer the fainting breast 

With a tender word and smile. 

''Let us go in scenes of sorrow, undismayed; 
Trouble'?, hand on us tomorrow may be laid. 
Let us help while now we can, 

Ev'ry burden to relieve. 
As w^e bless our fellowman, 

So a blessing we'll receive. 

"How the hand of love can lighten all our woe; 
How the gleami of hope can brighten all below, 
L^t us do the kindly deed. 

Let us speak the lovely word, 
They will spring like precious seed. 
In the garden of the Lord." 

— Palmc^' Hartsough, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 281 

Dear reader, be a sunbeam scatterer and you'll 
have sunbeams all along your pathway that leads to 
the glorious home of the soul, where the glory of God 
shall outshine the beauty and splendor of the noon- 
day, and where peace and joy are eternal. 

Good Lord, help us to scatter sunbeams every- 
where, and Thine shall be the glory. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 
"NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE." 

"DraAv nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to 
you." — James 4:8. 

Since the death of our beloved president William 
McKinley, the song, "Nearer, My God, To Thee," has 
been one of my favorite hymns. McKinley gave the 
song a new meaning to me, and he has made it im- 
mortal to the soul. This was his dying message left 
to the world, and his soul seemed to be wafted away 
toward God as he sang it. The world was receding ; 
glory and bliss eternal to him were opening. His 
soul found comfort, peace, joy in the sweet words : 

"Nearer, My God, to Thee ! 

Nearer to Thee, 
E'en though it be a cross 

That raiseith me ; 
Still all my song shall be. 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee. 

"Though like a wanderer, 

The sun gone down, 
Darkness be over me. 

My rest a stone. 
Yet in my dreams I'd be 
282 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 283 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee. 

'There let the way appear. 

Steps unto heav'n; 
All that Thou sendest me. 

In mercy giv'n ; 
Angels to beckon me 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee. 

"Then, with my waking tho'ts 

Bright with Thy praise, 
Out of my stony griefs 

Bethel I'll raise; 
So by my woes to be 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee. 

•'Or if on joyful wing 

Cleaving the sky. 
Sun, moon and stars forgot 

Upward I fly; 
Still all my song shall be, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee." 

If one could find peace and joy in this sweet old 



284 Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

hymn in the hour of death, we should find such in it 
while living and even enjoying health,. ''Nearer, my 
God, to Thee," should be one's theme and sincere de- 
sire in both life and death. McKinley could not 
have left a better testimony to the world in his de- 
parting moments, for he was no doubt drawing near- 
er to God and his abiding place in heaven which Je- 
sus went to prepare for all who love and serve Him. 

If there ever has been a time, dear reader, when 
we should make this song our theme, and sing it in 
the Spirit of Christ, and in truth, surely that time 
is now. Our only safety is in Him. The Psalmist 
said : "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and 
my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely 
he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 
and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover 
thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt 
thou trust : his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor 
for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pesti- 
lence that walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruc- 
tion that wasteth at noon-day. A thousand shall fall 
at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but 
it sihall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes 
shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my ref- 
uge, even the most High, thy habitation ; there shall 
no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come 
nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels 
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 285 

shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy 
foot against a stone." (Psalm 91 :2-12) . 

Then our safety is in drawing near to Him as our 
**refuge and fortress." He is able to keep us during 
these perilous times that are trying the souls of men. 
He is able to sustain us and give us strength to over- 
come temptations and sins, and enable us to retain 
our integrity and walk uprightly before Him. He is 
able and willing to take care of us, day by day, as we 
face the dangers of this wicked world, and to deliver 
us. The song says of Him : 

"Be not dismayed v^hate'er betide, 

God will take care of you; 
Beneath His wings of love abide, 

God will take care of you. 

''Through days of toil when heart doth fail, 

God will take care of you ; 
When dangers fierce your path assail, 
God will take care of you." 
He is the only refuge in which we can hide our- 
selves from the snares of Satan. He is the only 
"Rock of Ages" on which we can stand and realize 
that it is unshakable, and that we are secure, because 
"all other ground is sinking sand." Then we should 
draw near to Him, praying, 

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me. 
Let me hide myself in Thee." 
Before we can draw near to God there is a re- 
quirement made of us. Here it is: "Submit your- 



286 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

selves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will 
flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw 
nigh to you." We must first submit ourselves to 
God and resist the devil. And to submit to Him 
means that we must lay all on the altar, our time, 
our talent, our means, our will, our mind, our life, 
soul and body, and be His, to do His will. Then as 
the devil t-empts us and tries to lead us astray, and 
away from the paths of righteousness and our bless- 
ed Lord and Saviour, we must resist him and draw 
near to the God of our salvation who "is able to do 
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 
think,*' and who is able to save to the uttermost all 
that come unto God by Him. The apostle Paul said : 
*'I know whom I have believed, (or trusted) and am 
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day." (2 Tim. 
1:12). 

So we must first submit ourselves to God, what- 
ever the requirements are in so doing, resist the 
devil, then draw near to God, and the promise is, *'he 
will draw nigh to you." 

The best and safest and happiest plaice in one's 
life here is near Jesus. 

The Rev. Johnson Oatman has truly said in one 
of his beautiful and soul-stirring songs : 

'*Tho' the world may sweep around me with her daz- 
zle and her dreams, 
Yet I envy not her vanities and pride, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavemnard. 287 

For my soul looks up to heaven where the golden 

sunlight gleams, 
And I'm living on the hallelujah side." 

When we are living close to Jesus we can feel 
that in Him we have "a very present help in trou- 
ble," and we can take everything to Him in prayer. 
In His "presence is fullness of joy," and some bright 
day we shall realize again v^th the Psalmist: "At 
thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." 
to be near and live near Him, how blessed, how de- 
lightful ! The world and her follies have no attrac- 
tion for us. We can say again : "Fm happy with Je- 
sus alone." The allurements of Satan are but dross 
in the sight of one's eyes who is abiding fully in Je- 
sus, and near His cross. The world is crucified unto 
him and he is crucified unto the world. To get a full 
supply of God's goodness and richness and sweetness 
spoils one for this world. He indeed can say with 
Harriet Warner : 

"I am drinking at the fountain, 

Where I ever would abide ; 
For I've tasted life's pure river, 

And my soul is satisfied ; 

There's no thirsting for life's pleasures. 

Nor adoring rich and gay. 
For I've found a richer treasure, 

One that fadeth not away." 

My sincere desire is to "draw nigh unto Grod" 



288 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

each day of my life. As I behold the dangers of the 
world, the destroying and wasting wickedness on all 
sides, and the terrible times in which we are living, 
with the thousands who seem to be maddened by de- 
mon spirits and going headlong and heedlessly into 
hell, I feel how very necessary it is to live close to 
our Lord and Master who is able to help, save and 
keep us. No wonder the Psalmist said : "He is my 
refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I 
trust." There is no one else whom we can trust to 
keep us from danger and diestruction. We can't 
trust even our dearest loved ones to do it, for we 
know they can't. We can't trust our great armies 
of soldiers and their mighty munitions of war to 
do it. No, all these will fail. God alone can and is 
willing and ready to help us, and then why not trust 
Him? He's our only dependence. 

that ever^^one could say with the poet again : 

''To Jesus every day I find my heart is closer drawn ; 
He's fairer than the glory of the gold and purple 

dawn ; 
He's all my fancy pictured in its fairest dreams and 

more ; 
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the 

day before!' 

Sometimes it requires quite a sacrifice on our 
part to "draw nigh to God." It cost God the sacri- 
fioei of His dear Son on the rugged cross to redeem 
us and prepare the way so we could get near Him, 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward. 289 

and if He sacrificed so greatly for us we can afford 
to sacrifice for Him. It costs us the sacrifice some- 
times of our profession, our position, our time, our 
labor, our means, our friends, our home, our native 
land, and everything that we hold near and dear to 
our lives that would com.e between us and God. We 
must have no other gods before Him. And it is good 
to pray this prayer: "Break down every idol, cast 
out every foe." The song says : 

''Nearer, my God,to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee, 
E'en tho' it be a cross 

That raiseth me.'* 

Now the cross that raises us nearer Him may be 
a cross of some heavy responsibility, some great 
task, some peril for the sake of others for which 
Jesus died ; or it may be a cross of sorrow, pain, per- 
secution, suffering, agony of death. For "the ser- 
vant is not greater than his Lord." But whatever it 
be we should be able to look upward toward Jesus 
and say : 

"Still all my song shall be, 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee." 

The last four stanzas of this song are based upon 
Jacob's wonderful vision which he had when he was 
fleeing from his brother Esau, when alone in the soli- 
tary wilderness away from the abode of mankind, 



290 Lifers Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

with his head resting upon a stone for a pillow. He 
was a lonely wanderer in the world, and perhaps 
feeling that even God had forsaken him because of 
the wrong he had done. Maybe, reader, that flts 
your case and experience today. But cannot you say 
— can't many of us say : 

"Tho like a wanderer, 

The sun gone down, 
Darkness be over me, 

My rest a stone, 
Yet in my dreams Fd be 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee?" 

Jacob, in his vision, saw a ladder set up which 
seemed to reach heaven, and the angels of God were 
descending and ascending. He realized that he was 
in the presence of God then, that he was near Him, 
and the heavenly vision and way appeared very 
beautiful. 

* 'There let the way appear. 

Steps unto heav'n ; 
All that Thou sendest me. 

In mercy giv'n; 
Angels to beckon me 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee.*' 



Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 291 

''And Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he 
said, Surely the Lrord is in this place ; and I knew it 
not. And he was afraid, and said. How dreadful is 
this place ! this is none other but the house of Gk)d, 
and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up 
early in the morning, and took the stone that he had 
put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and 
poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the 
name of that place Bethel." ("That is the house of 
God." Margin.) Gen. 28:16-19. 

"Then, with my waking tho'ts 

Bright with Thy praise, 
Out of my stony griefs 

Bethel I'll raise ; 
So by my woes to be 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee." 

Sometimes, like Jacob, we are wayworn and 
tired, with cares, burdens, and woes upon our life, 
and how sweet it is to turn then to Jesus and sing 
from our heart : 

*'So by my woes to be 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee!" 

Then when our toils of life are over, our earthly 
sorrows past, our duty done, our responsibilities 



292 Life's Beautiful Way Heavenward, 

borne faithfully, our work of "labor and love" for 
each other and for the Master finished, our race on 
earth patiently run, our temptations, persecutions, 
trials, iDattles, ordeals passed, and we are going 
hence to be no more in this world, but to be and live 
with Jesus, and receive "a crown of life," it will be 
sweet to sing as the soul soars away heavenward : 

"Or if on joyful wing 

Cleaving the sky, 
Sun, moon and stars forgot 

Upward I fly ; 

Still all my song shall be, 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
^ Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee." 

Then can we more fully realize the meaning of 
the Psalmist when he said : "In thy presence is full- 
ness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures 
for evermore." (Psalm 16:11.) 

THE END. 



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